A woman from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) who married two husbands has explained how she ended up in the situation.
Polyandry (a union whereby one woman marries more than one husband and lives with them in the same house) is not common in Africa.
But Francine Jisele lives with her first husband Remi Murula and her second one Albert Jarlace in the same house with their children.
Speaking to Afrimax English in an interview, Jisele said she got married six years ago to Murula and the couple had two children.
Murula left to go and look for greener pastures and there was no communication between the two for more than three years. Said Jisele:
Just because life was not easy, the man went on a trip and never came back. I found myself alone out here, I spent three years and a half in a single life without my husband.
After those years I lost him I fell in love with this other man. After one year with the second husband, the first one came back.
She said she hadn’t expected her husband to come back after being away for all those years.
The second husband, Albert Jarlace, revealed that she started staying with Jisele before she told him that she had another man. Said Jarlace:
I met this woman when I was working in the mining industry and she told me that she had another husband and how that man left her saying that he was going to find a life.
Jarlace said when Murula returned, Jisele asked him to leave but he felt that it was necessary to stay with her as they already had a child together. He added:
I felt I had no choice because we were already together since I had lived with her not knowing she had another man.
Murula believes he is partly to blame for the situation as he cut off all communication with his wife for a long time. He said:
Tuko watatu (there are two men here and here). We get along well, this woman is our wife. Since I left I didn’t talk to my wife once. When I came back I found my wife with another man.
At first, I threw a tantrum but I realised if had talked to my wife she wouldn’t have done anything like that. I had no place to go and I was at fault.
The men share the work and bring home the food while the lady respects both of them.
The concern they have is not being able to tell the children apart.
When it comes to intimate moments, one of the men leaves the other to enjoy.
The woman is the one who identifies the father of the children.
Meanwhile, Jisele said it’s hard for her; she wishes each man had a home and she would go to them.
She said she doesn’t want the three of them to keep meeting in the same bedroom at the same time. | Legit.ng via The Herald