Weddings in Côte d'Ivoire: The Traditional Wedding (la dot) and the Civil Marriage

In Côte d'Ivoire (in West Africa, French-speaking, the world's largest cocoa producer), "getting married" often means not one ceremony but two: a traditional wedding between two families, known as la dot, and a civil marriage registered with the civil registry. If you receive a wedding invitation from a local colleague or business partner, working out which one it is tells you how to prepare.

La dot: an alliance between two families

La dot is the traditional ceremony that many Ivorian peoples use to seal a marriage. A psycho-educational specialist interviewed on the subject stresses that it is a symbolic act by which one family entrusts its child to another, not a "purchase"; many brides also see it as proof that their parents consent to the match.

Practices vary widely between peoples, but common elements include:

• Negotiation through a spokesperson: the groom's side is represented by a spokesperson who negotiates with the bride's family, which sometimes demands fines for various "breaches of etiquette".
• Identifying the bride: the bride's family brings out several veiled women, and the groom must recognise which one is his bride; if he picks the wrong one, he may have to "pay" again.
• The gift list: in one example from the Alépé area, gifts included yams, smoked fish, salt, red palm oil, bananas and gin, as well as wax and Kita cloth for the parents and the bride.
• Customs specific to each people: in Godié tradition, for example, if the marriage ends, the bride's family is in principle expected to return the dot.

In the 1980s, la dot was usually a simple affair held in the village. Today in Abidjan it has often become an urban celebration as grand as the civil wedding, or grander, with a hired venue, bridesmaids, wedding favours, tiered cakes and professional photographers, and the couple may change into several traditional outfits. Some criticise this extravagance for stripping the ceremony of its original family meaning.

Civil marriage: the only legally valid marriage

The legal framework is Law No. 2019-570 of 26 June 2019 on marriage. Its key points:

As for la dot, the 1964 marriage law declared it abolished, yet it remained widespread in practice. The 2019 law repealed the 1964 law, so paying the dot is no longer an offence punishable by imprisonment. The traditional wedding itself, however, still has no legal effect as a marriage.

Many couples hold both ceremonies, sometimes on the same day and sometimes about a week apart. Others treat the civil marriage as an administrative formality attended only by the witnesses, saving family and friends for la dot.

What to ask when invited

When you receive an invitation, you can simply ask your hosts: is this la dot or the civil wedding (mariage civil)? Is there a dress theme or a designated fabric? Are there several events on the day? For the formalities involved when a foreign national marries, contact the civil registry where the wedding will take place or your country's embassy or consulate.

One line for Asian readers

In Côte d'Ivoire, the civil marriage makes a union "legal", while la dot makes two families "kin"; if you are ever invited to a dot, it is a rare lesson in local family culture.

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References: FAOLEX – Loi n° 2019-570 du 26 juin 2019 relative au mariage; Fraternité Matin – Dot en Côte d'Ivoire : quand le modernisme prend le pas sur la tradition (2020); Connectionivoirienne – La célébration de la dot rivalise avec le mariage civil (2018); Loidici – La législation ivoirienne reconnaît-elle le mariage coutumier ? (2022); Equality Now – Africa Family Laws: Côte d'Ivoire (2024)