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What are Okeke's objections to his son's marriage in "Marriage is a Private Affair"?

Okeke's objections to Nnaemeka's marriage to Nene are all based on Ibo tribe tradition in his native Nigeria. The Ibo tribe tradition is that the woman should be chosen by the father, be a "good" Christian, have training as a homemaker and, above all, be of the Ibo tribe. Nene partially fits only one of these criteria, which is not enough for Okeke. First, Nnaemeka rejects the wife Okeke has chosen and wants to marry Nene...

Okeke's objections to Nnaemeka's marriage to Nene are all based on Ibo tribe tradition in his native Nigeria. The Ibo tribe tradition is that the woman should be chosen by the father, be a "good" Christian, have training as a homemaker and, above all, be of the Ibo tribe. Nene partially fits only one of these criteria, which is not enough for Okeke. First, Nnaemeka rejects the wife Okeke has chosen and wants to marry Nene only due to Nnaemeka's love for her. Next, even though Nene is a Christian, she is a schoolteacher, which Okeke believes is prohibited by the Bible. In this way, Nene is accused of not having the training to be a good homemaker. Worst of all (according to Okeke), Nene is not of the Ibo tribe. With each of these bits of information, Okeke becomes more and more enraged and eventually forbids the marriage. Because Nnaemeka goes against his father's wishes and marries Nene, it is not until the end of the story that Okeke relents and agrees to see his grandsons.

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