Did you know deities have always married women?

A historian at the University of Ghana's Institute of African Studies, Kwaku Darko Ankrah, has provided a historical perspective on the marriage ceremony between the minor Naa Okromo and the Gborbu Wulomo.

Over the weekend, the people of Nungua witnessed the marriage between Naa Okromo and 63-year-old Nuumo Borketey Laweh Tsuru XXXIII.

• Read also: Office of Gborbu Wulomo clarifies alleged marriage involving a minor

Following the event, the traditional leader has come under severe criticism. Many stakeholders have described the act as barbaric, retrogressive, and an abuse of the child’s rights.

The Nungua Council has since clarified that the girl was the last of the four wives of the Gborbu deity, Naa Yoomo Ayemuede. The council clarified that the girl was not a 12-year-old as wildly speculated, but would soon be 16 years.

Despite these clarifications, the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice said any form of betrothal, whether to a deity or a man, was a crime.

However, a historian has elaborated on the ceremony which occurred on March 30.

• Read also: Any form of child betrothal is a crime – CHRAJ

According to him, from time immemorial, deities have always chosen and married women and this phenomenon is not new nor is it specific to the Ga tribe alone.

Speaking on JoyNews’ Upfront on April 4, Mr Ankrah said Naa Okromo was betrothed to the Gborbu deity and not the Wulomo.

"I made it clear that it is the deity that chooses. The lady is not a wife to the Gborbu [Wulomo] per se. It is the deity that has chosen you as his wife. That is why I said the Gborbu shrine or the Gborbu deity is the senior deity of Nungua State. The Gborbu deity has wives, and there are four of them. Naa Ohimia, Naa Bosuafi, Naa Ashi3ley and Naa Yoomo Ayemuede.

"So far, three marriages for the Gborbu deity have occurred, and Naa Okromo, the young lady in question, is the one who is going to inherit or ascend the stool of the Ayemeude. So it is not the Wulomo who chose. It is the deity, and that is a traditional thing that occurs," Mr Ankrah said.

He insisted that it was incorrect to claim that the Gborbu Wulomo, Borketey Laweh, went to solicit for the minor's hand in marriage. "It is the deity that made these choices," he said.

The historian said the Wulomo was representing the spirit at the ceremony and was publicly announcing to the community that Naa Okromo was dedicated to the deity.

He added that virginity was at the centre of the requirement because only clean people were allowed to serve the gods and perform specific rites.

Mr Ankrah said that some of the widely circulated notion was far from the truth. Additionally, he said that in some instances, women married to gods have married men.