Africa News of Friday, 21 February 2020

Source: bbc.com

Blind people get married in Somali group wedding

Each of the couples that got married in the ceremony included a blind partner Each of the couples that got married in the ceremony included a blind partner

A group of five couples, each including a blind partner, got married in a shared ceremony in Somalia's capital Mogadishu on Thursday.

The four blind grooms and one blind bride had all struggled to raise money for their weddings.

Traditionally in Somalia families raise money for weddings but in this case private companies stepped in to pay for the ceremony.

One of the brides, Samiira, told the BBC that it was challenging enough to find a husband and she also faced difficulty raising money for the ceremony.

But Samiira advised people with disability "not to give up in finding love".

Her husband Maslah Ali told the BBC what attracted him to his wife.

"I fell in love with my blind wife while teaching her. I believe that she was a hard working student and one day she will be an amazing mother who will raise our children very well," he said.