The most interesting dowry customs

The South African concept of lobola recognizes women’s labor to society. It’s a material and symbolic gift a husband gives his wife in recognition of her reproductive labor and her labor in the rural homestead. All of that labor is highly valued in an African cultural context. The idea of a lobola is to compensate for the value of the loss of that contribution in the familial home of the bride. “Traditionally, lobola has always been in the form of livestock such as cattle,” says Livermon. “Today, it could be money, a vehicle, jewelry, or household goods.”