science

Polygamy in Africa

Polygamy in Africa is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Polygamy in Africa rather than just read about it. In short: Polygamy in Africa has existed throughout the history of Africa. Polygamy, particularly polygyny, is a highly valued social institution in Africa.

Key takeaways

Polygamy in Africa belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Polygamy in Africa to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Polygamy in Africa from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Polygamy in Africa has existed throughout the history of Africa. Polygamy, particularly polygyny, is a highly valued social institution in Africa. Polygamy is a marriage between a man or woman and their multiple spouses. Polygyny is a marriage between a man and multiple wives. Polyandry is a marriage between a woman and multiple husbands. A common expectation for African kings is to symbolically unify their kingdoms and societies through partaking in polygamous marriages with wives from a broad range of clans within the society. By doing so, the king reduces the chance of dissident and rival forces developing and rising against him.

History

North Africa

Egypt

Evidence for polygamy in ancient Egypt can be found among both the Middle Kingdom and New Kingdom. During the dynastic rule of Amenophis III, numerous polygynous marriages between Amenophis III and foreign princesses occurred, which later led to the princesses being buried in the Valley of the Queens along with the following description of them as part of the harem of the king: “'She of numerous nights in the city of the brilliant Aten'; 'She who appears in glory in the temple of the brilliant Aten'; 'She who strikes with fury for the brilliant Aten'.” An example of polygamy from a 20th Dynasty period papyrus, which is one among several other examples from the 20th Dynasty that highlight grave robberies, highlights the tribunal case of gold worker, Ramose. During the case, Mutemhab, his wife, indicated during her testimony that he had two dead wives and another wife who was not dead. Ramose was brought to trial for grave robbery and not polygamy. While Herodotus characterized the ancient Egyptians as being monogamous, Diodorus characterized the ancient Egyptians as being polygamous; according to Diodorus Siculus, "In accordance with the marriage-customs of the Egyptians the priests have but one wife, but any other man takes as many as he may determine; and the Egyptians are required to raise all their children in order to increase the population, on the ground that large numbers are the greatest factor in increasing the prosperity of both country and cities."

West Africa

Ivory Coast

23% of men were found to be participating in a polygynous marriage in 1988. The average polygynist man was found to have 2.3 wives, with higher rates of polygyny found in rural areas than in Abidjan. From 1955 to 1988, rates of polygyny in Ivory Coast remained fairly consistent, occurring with four out of 10 married women. There was some decline found in rural areas from the early 1960s to mid-1970s.

Mali

Between the 12th century CE and the 15th century CE, polygamy was a cultural practice of the Mali Empire. In the Mande narrative of Sundiata Keita’s Epic, Keita partook in a polygamous marriage with two women, whom he had children with, and whose children were in political competition with one another.

Mauritania

In Tichitt culture, households may have been used by extended families or polygamous families at locations such as Akreijit.

Nigeria

Nigeria as a whole does not recognise polygamous unions under civil law. However, 12 out of the 36 states recognise polygamous marriages as equivalent to monogamous marriages, and these states are governed by Sharia law. Nigeria has one of the highest rates of polygamy in the world.

East Africa

Uganda

During the Kingdom of Buganda, the king of Buganda partook in polygynous marriages to reduce the chance of dissident and rival forces developing and rising against him.

Customs

North Africa

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Polygamy in Africa

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Polygamy in Africa claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Polygamy in Africa before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Polygamy in Africa ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Polygamy in Africa

In research: Polygamy in Africa appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Polygamy in Africa in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Polygamy in Africa is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Culture of Africa, Mating systems, Polygamy, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Polygamy in Africa outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Polygamy in Africa in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Polygamy in Africa means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Polygamy in Africa out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Polygamy in Africa in simple terms?

Polygamy in Africa has existed throughout the history of Africa. Polygamy, particularly polygyny, is a highly valued social institution in Africa.

Why does Polygamy in Africa matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Polygamy in Africa?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Polygamy in Africa.