Marriage

Marriage is a prominent part of the Saharawi culture, and it takes up a large chunk of people's time, whether it is participating in one or helping out with the preparations. It is celebrated for 2 to 3 days in a row and it often feeds over a hundred people. The picture is taken of Sunniva's uncle's wedding, which we all participated in, and you can 'see' the beautiful bride and and her proud husband.

We have spent a considerable time at different weddings, eaten lot of camel meat (some of us would even insist on' too much') and attempted to dance Saharawi dances.  As a result of our wedding- craziness I also started talking about marriage at home with my family. It turns out that my oldest sister who is a very conservative Muslim, only wants to see her husband after she is engaged. To me, it sounds like a silly idea, however she insists on the fact that beauty only comes from the inside. Before the engagement, they instead talk on the phone but only to discuss each others demands such as where they want to live and the type of house. I carefully asked how she could be so sure about her future husband's income, as her list over items includes a trip to Mecca and a house with a big bathroom, but it turned out to be a unnecessary question. To my sister, a man that is ready for marriage is also able to take care of his wife and all her needs. Whatever that must be.

I must say, I started questioning why people marry. Are we crazy in Europe to believe in 'love', whatever that is? How important is money? I constantly question why Saharawis marry when  contact between the couple before a wedding is so limited. Many couples don't even know each other before they move in together in their new home. On the other hand, Allah has told people to marry, and I know that is the reason my sister is looking for a husband.

All I am sure of is that marriage has a different meaning for the people here in the refugee camp in contrast to what we believe in Norway. And perhaps are Norwegians native when we believe in love. Or are we?