West Africa: Controversy erupts as 63-year-old Ghanaian priest weds 12-year-old girl

Sentinel Digital Desk

Published:3rd Apr, 2024 at 11:49 AM

GHANA: In a surprising turn of events, a 63-year-old priest in West Africa’s Ghana has sparked outrage by marrying a 12-year-old girl, who was selected to be his wife when she was just 6 years old.

The priest, identified as Nuumo Borketey Laweh Tsuru XXXIII, married the child in a traditional ceremony on Saturday in Nungu.

The local news channel Ablade posted videos of extravagant wedding ceremonies on social media. The footage showed many community members gathered to witness the event, sparking outrage among several Ghanaians.

During the ceremony, women speaking the local ‘Ga’ language reportedly advised the girl to dress provocatively for her new husband, according to the Daily Mail.

Local community leaders have responded to external criticism by expressing a lack of understanding about their customs and traditions. Their customs include advising the young girl to prepare for her future role as a wife by enhancing her ‘sex appeal’ with the perfume she had received as a gift.

Leaders of the Nungua indigenous community, to which both the girl and the priest belong, have criticized the public's disapproval of the marriage, stating that the criticism comes from ignorance.

Nii Bortey Kofi Frankwa II, a well-known community leader told the Daily Mail that the girl’s marriage to the priest is “completely rooted in tradition and custom”. He added that the girl began the necessary rituals to become the priest’

The Ghanaian government has not yet commented on the controversial marriage. In Ghana, the legal minimum age for marriage is 18. While child marriages are declining across the country, they still occur in some areas and communities.