An app just told me how much I am supposedly worth. I guess this negates the tedious dealings when my potential suitor makes his way to my father’s house to bargain for my hand in marriage (as if).
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The app in question is called Bride Price app, and was most likely created by Nigerian digital agency Anakle. The app takes the user through a series of questions about yourself (if you are a curious female) or your potential mate, or friend or whoever. Once you have gone through the many questions provided, you are then given a figure that I guess denotes the worth of the lady in question.
The round of Q&A begins with a disclaimer that the creator of the app doesn’t take responsibility for what you do with it, like that ever helped anyone get out of trouble.
The game begins with zero amounts, then figures get added with each attribute you provide, plus ₦20K for the tall girls, less ₦4.5K for the short ones. Slim girls are in high demand with a bounty of plus 50K, facial beauty is one of the highest ranked areas “fine and intimidating” raking in ₦120K while “below OK” girls lose ₦10K. A girl with an American citizenship seems preferable, netting an extra ₦100K, while South African citizens are worth an extra ₦50K.
Education seems to be a contested area, too much (a PhD holder) loses ₦50K, while no education losses you a whooping ₦100K. Culinary skills are also a must ladies, so you best start them YouTube tutorials. Employment is also a big plus, well the right kind at any rate, while body art (best start getting rid of all that ink) is heavily frowned up. If you really want to attract top dollar though, you should start practising your British accent, because that is first prize.
You can see how easily one can be offended by the game. To its credit though, the game does try judge both what is to outside as well inside. It judges the physical, it judges the mind, but it does not judge the heart or the person’s nature. To think that value can be attributed with a series of questions is a gross misrepresentation and pretty offensive.
If however it is meant to be a commentary on the Nigerian society, then it’s a pretty subtle one commenting on how the stereotypes of what men may want from potential mates can be so simplified. On that level alone, the game is actually more telling about Nigerians than the value of women, which no man can actually put a price on.
If we look at the subtle hints of what this app says about the Nigerian psyche based on the monetary value attributed to each answer. One could conclude that Nigerians are torn with the need to be American while keeping so core Nigerian values.
Anakle CEO Editi Effiòng hasn’t really admitted to building this app but seems to have a lot to say about it.
“It’s a humorous aggregation of Nigerian marriage stereotypes,” he says. “Not to be taken seriously, but that’s probably why the disclaimer was out there. Again, marriage is one of the most popular topics of Nigerian social media, so it was only a matter of time someone app-ed the topic.”
