When I was still searching for a job I met people who asked me whether I was working. You would only reveal your unemployment to your closest friends and you tell the rest you had a job. Majority of them who asked wanted me to give them some money to help them pay for their wedding expenses. If they found out that I didn’t have a job they wouldn’t not bother inviting me to their wedding meetings. When people like these find out that you have a job you start receiving calls and SMS’s; you even receive calls from people that you may have spent three years without meeting. On the day I received a call from my employer that I had to pick up my appointment letter I was the happiest man of the Earth. I started thinking how to save my meager salary in future. A few days later, however, I begun getting messages from friends, most of them asking me to attend their meetings, which was an indirect request for financial assistance. While I was trying to get used to a new job three workmates jumped into my office each wanting a marriage contribution. With your first salary you often have to pay the debts you owe from your jobless days-yet this is the time people needing contribution arrive. My question is, “how can we save some money with all these marriage meetings? I believe that this does not affect our personal accounts and daily life alone but also the development of the country. For example, while other cities are always busy 24 hours from Monday to Sunday it is a culture here in Rwanda that during weekends almost everything closes. When it comes to Saturday and Sunday, you only see wedding cars passing closed shops and pharmacies. Culture is good but some new ones must be adopted if they are in the interests of developing our country. I mean, what’s wrong with adopting the European model where you find 20 people invited to wedding? We’ve adopted almost everything else of theirs anyway. If fellow readers think I am wrong, and then they should challenge me on this issue. Most people get married unprepared and then expect people to get things done for them. Can’t someone minimize their budget and invite few people to their wedding? Why should some one invite hundreds of people and use millions of francs in a day? It doesn’t make sense. karuhangad@yahoo.com The author is a recent graduate
