Prime
Are we supporting weddings or just sponsoring a red carpet event?
In Tanzania, when someone announces they're getting married, something magical happens — not to them, but to you.
Your name mysteriously appears in three new WhatsApp groups:
“Kitchen Party Chama”, “Send-Off Soldiers”, and the classic “Wedding Committee”.
Before you know it, you’re being asked to contribute to everything from balloons and beaded curtains to the goat that will be eaten by people you don’t even know.
You might be thinking, “Well, it’s all love.”
But plot twist: when someone says they want to raise money to buy land or start a small business, the same people who were singing wedding songs suddenly go silent like they’ve entered a meditation retreat.
Where does all the energy go? Where’s the “Committee for Helping This Guy Get Out of Poverty”?
Nowhere. Doesn’t exist. But the “Matching Kitenge Committee”? That one is thriving.
You’d think we were investing in a power couple’s forever-after, but most of the time, we’re just sponsoring a one-day show with loud speakers, a rented Range Rover, and an MC who thinks shouting is a personality.
Everyone’s shouting “HONGERA BIBI HARUSI!” while no one’s asking, “Do you guys even have rent for next month?”
People will contribute Sh100,000 for a cake but won’t send 30,000 to a friend trying to start a business selling samosas.
One friend gets “congrats” emojis. The other gets a financial intervention. Priorities!
Love is beautiful, but so is financial literacy.
Of course, love deserves celebration. But if we’re being totally unserious (and we are), it’s time to admit some weddings are less about love and more about Instagram highlights and fireworks that traumatise neighbourhood dogs. Why are we out here funding someone’s makeup artist and imported champagne but ignoring the guy trying to open a car wash?
If weddings had sponsorship packages, some of y’all would be on the platinum tier.
But when it’s time to help someone buy tools, everyone suddenly has a network issue.
If your friend’s wedding is coming up, contribute if you can, and show up if you want to. Just don’t forget: success doesn’t end at a bouquet toss.
Sometimes, the real wedding gift is contributing to someone’s business, house project, or actual future, not just the confetti budget.
And if anyone adds you to another "WEDDING TASK FORCE 2025" group, ask boldly:“Is this for the reception or real-life construction?”
