Book Review: Sitwala Imenda "Unmarried Wife" East African Educational Publishers Ltd., 1996. pp.141

Abstract

It is common to hear people talk ill of polygamy. Feminists talk of it as a demonstration of male greed and irresponsibility. Some perceive it as an outdated c-ustom that has no place in modem society. Inspiration writers look at it as a pre-occupation of those courting marital chaos. Either way, it has to be acknowledged that the destruction of African traditional structures has affected this aspect of the African family life. Our society is at crossroads. There seems to exist a desire in most African societies to adopt the christian philosophy of marriage but a close look at the actions of men reveal otherwise. It is, in a more immediate sense, a question of culture clash. The book under review attempts to explore the physiological, psychological and sociological factors that lead to infidelity or second marriages. This novel is set in South Africajust at the dawn of a new era as the country is shedding off apartheid policies and a wave of democratic changes set in.