Polygamy

Polygamy is still practised in Africa, parts of the Middle East and some other places. However I am tackling this from the African perspective and how it is still popular in our society. I was asked a question yesterday about if I would like to be in a polygamous relationship. I giggled when asked this and confessed to the person (whom I shall refer to as Nana) that if I had been asked that question twenty years ago, I would have said no and that would have been the end of it. However these days, I was ready to listen to one's reason for taking that path. He proceeded to explain why he was asking me the question, though it sounded like he was either contemplating it, or was trying to see if it would be considered "cool" seeing as he is a celebrity, or wanted my response as a test. Still not clear why he asked me and we shall be having a second discussion next week.

These days my interactions with a number of polygamous families has given me an insight as to how these families do thrive. Do not misunderstand me, I do not discriminate between monogamous relationships or polygamous ones or choose my friends based on what type of relationship they were procreated from. Everyone is welcome to be my friend. It is only that in the last decade or so, I have had the opportunity to really see how a polygamous relationship works as I have been linked to few families who still embrace this type of relationship. I marvel at the way the 'wives' all seem to get along as well as the children. Back in the UK in the late eighties during my student days, I will never forget the night a close friend of mine, jumped on the tube armed with a box of Kleenex Men's tissues, ended up ringing the doorbell to my flat like a mad woman, only for her to announce that she had just found out her father had some other children. We were both in shock and felt that her Dad had betrayed ALL of us. These days that sort of news is not shocking anymore.

I happen to know a gentleman who has a number of wives (I am still not quite sure of the number) who shares his week among the wives. For example from Sunday to Tuesday he can be found at house A, from Wednesday to Thursday house B and so on. I do not know how he does it, especially as he is not quite as young as he used to be.

What I would like to know about polygamy, especially from the men, is, why does one have so many women or is it that one cannot find the one woman with the most qualities, hence the different choices? Or is it that given the shortage of men, one is trying to make up for it, hence giving the ladies a chance? I would really like to hear from you gents out there.

I still have not answered the question I was asked yesterday and still debating if I should. Quite frankly I am not the type to share so at least you know what my answer is going to be......