23rd July 2014 We loved this satirical news piece from Yesiyesi Ghana, taking a look at some of Ghana’s realities through a humorous lens. The story is of a young man who has received a most unusual request for his fiancee’s brideprice. Not cows or jewellery or money….no, nothing so ordinary. His prospective inlaws are expecting…wait for it…100 gallons of fuel.
So, according to the story, Kofi Ghanaba and his fiancée had decided that they were ready to take the next step to marriage. And so he went to his prospective inlaws for the traditional list of requirements for her dowry. He was very relieved when he looked at the list to encounter only 1 item, but his relief was very shortlived when he took a closer look to realise that the singular item was 100 gallons of fuel.
The bride’s family have a very curious angle to the story. According to them, the request is a test to find out if Kofi can actually take good care of their daughter. In addition, they would like to test how economically savvy he will be as a husband, by checking to see if he will buy fuel while prices are high or wait til they drop. And finally, they want to know if he has the physical strength to carry 100 gallons of fuel, perhaps to ensure that he doesn’t drop his future wife when it is time to carry her over the threshold.
We have no clue how our mythical Kofi is going to work things out, but well, we wish him luck. A hundred gallons worth.