The institution of marriage is a real trouble among the Somali people. Young men and women with little means remain single because they are unable to raise the huge monetary outlay required for a modern Somali wedding.
Few days ago, I met a young man trying to organise his upcoming wedding and I wanted to know the exact cost of the wedding.
It was astonishing; A bed of Sh100,000, a sofa set Sh110,000, utensils and kitchen materials Sh45,000 and carpets of Sh25,000 while the party would gobble up Sh250,000-300,000.
A rather modest wedding now costs more than a million shillings. People are forced to contribute to finance weddings of their relatives and friends and so many are now feeling fatigued by the constant demand for donations.
It is my advice to many young men and women that we stop the 'celebrity wedding' madness and simplify the whole idea of marriage and weddings.
If you cannot afford a smashing party, do not do it. If you want a smashing party and you can afford it, by all means, do it.
In the end, after all the partygoers have left, you remain with that person, and that is all that should have mattered from the beginning.
It is my submission that we need to simplify the issue of love, marriage and weddings among the Somali community. The institution of marriage need not be a conspiracy of mutual suffering where people make extreme sacrifice to get in and jeopardize their happiness and future.