Marriage and Love in Africa in the Twentieth Century

Abstract

The continent of Africa is home to a vastly culturally diverse population. This diversity can be seen in differences from country to country as well as from tribe to tribe within countries. It is not unlikely to see different cultural practices taking place in a close proximity. Through the help of ethnographic sources, this chapter highlights this diversity in terms of peoples’ conceptions and ideals regarding love. Particularly, these studies look at how people of Nigeria, Cameroon, and Kenya view the concept of love by distinguishing its different types and defining it in terms of marriage and sex.