Living Together : Harmony In Mixed Marriages

Cameroon is one of those countries in the world where its unity in diversity is indeed an asset to national growth. This is reflected in several components including administrative, legal and in social institutions. By social institutions, we mean marriages, especially mixed marriages. A mixed marriage by some standard definition is marriage between people of different ethnic or religious backgrounds. The term was first used in 1649 and reflects most modern societies of today, Cameroon inclusive. There are several inter-tribal marriages across the ten regions of Cameroon. It is common to see a North Westerner getting married to someone from the Centre or Littoral Regions. Roman Catholic Christians getting married to those of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon or the Cameroon Baptist Convention. A visit to some homes of mixed couples indicate that love overrides tribal or religious backgrounds. They all noted that understanding each other and tolerance is what keeps them together with English and/or French as the main languages of communication. 
At the homes of one of such mixed couples in the Mendong neigbourhood in Yaounde, Solange Esunge, from the South West Region, precisely a native of Bakweri is married to Kisito Mainimo from the North West Region. Geographical mobility of labour imposed on them to be in the nation’s capital. “I see nothing wrong in getting married to someone out of your region of origin. In fact, you rather learn and blend the cultures of the two families. Due to my marriage with my husband who is from the North West, I can cook so many traditional meals of the region and I have acq...