GR Diary

Why do men kneel on a knee to propose?

Published

7 years ago

September 29, 2018

grassroots

By: Nmerichukwu Igweamaka

For many people, proposals are supposed to be the kind of romantic whirlwind you’ve only ever previously experienced while reading fairytales.

The love of your life gets down on one knee, triggering you to plummet into some kind of alternate universe where you’re surrounded by rose petals, dimly-lit candles, heart-shaped balloons and general happy, warm feelings.

But if you think about it, it’s actually kind of odd; the getting down on one knee bit. We get that it’s tradition and stuff – but if you really think about it, what on earth has a man got to gain by hobbling down onto one knee? Aside from the fact it puts him at roughly the right height to literally reach for your hand in marriage, obviously.

The idea of kneeling on one knee as essential to the standard proposal is not enshrined in history; it appears to be a largely modern invention, but it’s not clear how it originated.

The engagements we know most about in history are the ones between nobles and the wealthy, and those were often in the manner of business arrangements, with none of this “kneeling before your beloved” stuff. In fact, paintings of noble betrothals in history invariably depict both parties as standing or seated; no kneeling shows up at all.

One possible origin of the modern kneeling ideal is in the Middle Ages tradition of courtly love, in which a man of good birth essentially devoted himself (complete with poems, odes, deeds of honor, and general vassalage) to a noblewoman he perceived as superior.

The entire principle of this popular attitude was that the man was a kind of servant to the woman, whom he idealized beyond all reality; and he performed his servitude by kneeling, spiritually and figuratively. (Whether they ever actually got together is a matter of historical debate.

Probably not, in a lot of cases; many of the women in question were married.) Kneeling represented feudal surrender and admiration. Historians have actually had arguments about whether certain medieval images show men kneeling to their courtly loves, or to their male masters.

But kneeling in general in European history which was imitated by Africa has been a sign of supplication, humility, and servitude.

A lot of Christian iconography of prayer, for instance, involves kneeling, expressing your service to and debasement before God; and it’s also been pointed out that kneeling between men was a big sign of status.

Knights kneeled before their lords to receive honors, and surrendering armies kneeled before their conquerors. Kneeling to the woman you’re going to marry may be part of the same thing: a request for her favor and a physical demonstration of loyalty and surrender.

It seems to have first shown up in the 19th century, but as to why, your guess is as good as mine.

The Ring
The first reliable records of engagement rings for women, declaring that they would in the future be married to a specific man, dates to the Roman period, where betrothed women were given a gold ring to wear in public and an iron one to wear at home while doing household tasks.

But rings themselves as engagement symbols were likely around for many centuries, but they turn up in law at several points.

The Visigothic Code, a set of Spanish laws from the 7th century, declared that betrothal rings, like pledges in business, could not be revoked once they were given; you had to get married. Pope Nicholas I in 860 attempted to make an expensive, gold engagement ring legally necessary, so that men would make a significant monetary sacrifice and take the marriage seriously.

And the idea of a “betrothal” as a legal period of time (a gap between the intention to get married and actually performing the ceremony) was enshrined in Christian church law in 1215. Pope Innocent III declared that there had to be a waiting period between wanting to get married and being able to do it legally “so that if legitimate impediments exist, they may be made known”. (Impediments, as we all know from Jane Eyre, usually consisted of there being previous wives and husbands still living.)

The first recorded engagement ring with diamonds dates back to 1477, but it didn’t involve a solitaire; the ring in question was a gift from Archduke Maximilian of Austria to the noblewoman he was courting, 20-year-old Mary of Burgundy.

The famous jewelers Harry Winston describe the ring as “a delicate band adorned with diamonds in the shape of her first initial”.

Mary of Burgundy was a hugely powerful woman, and had her choice of eminent suitors, so this first diamond “engagement” ring probably wasn’t the thing that won her affection; it’s likely she’d selected Maximilian for her hand and he gave her the ring to cement the arrangement. (Tragically, Mary died after a horse riding accident at the age of 25.)

After Mary of Burgundy, the real beginnings of the diamond engagement ring tradition only emerge in the late 1800s, when a mining company struck rich seams of diamonds in Africa and formed a jewelry department, De Beers, to deal with it.

De Beers’ master stroke came in the 1930s and ’40s, when it employed a hugely successful “Diamonds Are Forever” advertising campaign to insist to the American population that diamonds were scarce, expensive, and the only viable way in which to propose marriage.

De Beers consciously created the status of the diamond engagement ring, and it still goes down as one of the most successful advertising ideas of all time: diamond engagement rings are, in most Western countries, now seen as the only acceptable option when a man declares his intention to marry you.

Credits: dailyadvent

Events

NOTAP Announces Plan for 2025 Technology and Innovation Summit

….Harnessing R&D and Innovation Potentials of Nigeria’s STI Ecosystem

Published

4 days ago

October 11, 2025

Ani Sandra

The National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) has announced the forthcoming NOTAP Technology and Innovation Summit (NTIS 2025), scheduled to hold on Thursday, 6th and Friday, 7th November 2025 at THE HALL, 16 Musa Yar’Adua Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, commencing daily at 9:00 AM.

Themed “Harnessing R&D and Innovation Potentials of Nigeria’s STI Ecosystem,” the two-day summit will convene key leaders from government, private sector, academia, development partners, and the startup ecosystem to explore strategies for strengthening Nigeria’s innovation landscape and positioning the nation as a hub for technology-driven economic growth.

Speaking on the upcoming summit, Dr. Lady Obiageli Amadiobi, the director-general of NOTAP, emphasized that the forum will serve as a strategic platform to foster dialogue and action around innovation policy, technology transfer, intellectual property, and commercialization.

“Our goal is to accelerate the transformation of research and creativity into commercially viable enterprises that drive national development,” she noted.

Summit Highlights

The NOTAP Technology and Innovation Summit 2025 will feature:

Ministerial Address and Keynote Sessions by renowned leaders in innovation, policy, and technology.
High-Level Panel Discussions on key themes such as technology transfer, intellectual property sovereignty, and building an AI-ready human resources.
Launching of Project NOVA (Nigeria’s Outsourcing Value Acceleration) and promotion of the NOTAP Local Vendor Policy (LVP) across all sectors of the economy.
Workshops and Breakout Sessions on IP management, funding access, and talent development.
Exhibitions and Innovation Showcases, featuring startups, research institutions, and technology companies.
Hackathon and Pitch Showcase, for emerging innovators and young entrepreneurs.
Networking and Partnership Sessions to foster collaboration across sectors.

The Summit will also host a Special Exhibition Pavilion to highlight Nigeria’s emerging technologies, research outputs, and development partnerships, reflecting NOTAP’s commitment to bridging the gap between invention and commercialization.

Partnership and Collaborations

The event is organized by the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) in partnership with Crestsage Limited and collaboration with stakeholders, to ensure a world-class experience that aligns with NOTAP’s mission of accelerating technology, promoting innovation and sustainable development across Nigeria.

The National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) is a parastatal under the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, mandated to regulate the acquisition of foreign technology, promote local research, and encourage the development and commercialization of indigenous technologies. Through strategic partnerships, policy advocacy, and capacity development, NOTAP continues to play pivotal roles in advancing Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem.

Events

Ortom, NOA DG, others to feature as Panelists at GOCOP 2025 Conference

Published

3 weeks ago

September 26, 2025

Ani Sandra

Panelists at GOCOP conference

The Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP) has announced that Chief Samuel Ortom, former Governor of Benue State, will serve as one of the panelists at the upcoming GOCOP 2025 Conference.

The conference theme is “Reconciling Campaign Promises with Governance Realities: Challenges and Prospects.”

A press statement by GOCOP publicity secretary, Ogbuefi Remmy Nweke, disclosed that the panel discussion will feature esteemed panelists, including Prof. Abiodun Adeniyi, Registrar, Base University, Abuja; Prof. Abigail Ogwezzy-Ndisika,2025 Director, Institute of Continuing Education (UNILAG); and Alhaji Lanre Issa-Orilu, Director-General, National Orientation Agency.

The conference, he said, will take place on October 9, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos.

He recalled that GOCOP had earlier announced that the keynote speaker will be Rt. Hon. Aminu Bello Masari, former Speaker of the House of Representatives and immediate past Governor of Katsina State.

Events

Takang, Ladid Lead Africa’s Digital Sovereignty Debate At DACE 2025

Published

4 weeks ago

September 17, 2025

grassroots

L-R: Prof. Latif Ladid and Dr. Armstrong Takang

How can Africa remain safe and powerful in a world being rapidly redefined by Artificial Intelligence?

That pressing question will take centre stage at the 13th Digital Africa Conference & Exhibition (DACE), scheduled for October 28–29, 2025, in Abuja.

The two-day gathering will be anchored by two powerhouse keynote speakers: Dr. Armstrong Takang on Day 1 and Prof. Latif Ladid on Day 2, each bringing unique expertise to Africa’s digital sovereignty conversation.

Dr. Armstrong Takang, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI), will open the conference with a keynote that situates Africa’s digital sovereignty within the broader context of economic reform, institutional innovation, and strategic governance.

A consummate professional and visionary thinker, Dr. Takang has spent decades bridging the gap between public reform and private investment across Africa and the United States. Before his current role at MOFI, he served as Special Adviser to the Honourable Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, where he led the MOFI Transformation Team.

His career includes leading Growth Alliance Partners (GAP), a pan-African firm that helped turn around several businesses to create shareholder value, and working at KPMG in New York.

He has been instrumental in designing and implementing key national initiatives such as the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), the Voluntary Asset and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS), and the ICT components of EFCC/NFIU systems.

Dr. Takang has also chaired national ICT committees and contributed to landmark policies, including Nigeria’s Content Development in ICT and the country’s 50-year Development Plan. His keynote will highlight how digital and financial sovereignty intersect to secure Africa’s long-term competitiveness.

On the other hand, Prof. Latif Ladid, Founder & President of the IPv6 Forum and Chair of the AI & Blockchain Global Forum, brings decades of global leadership in internet architecture, digital policy, and emerging technologies.

His expertise spans across pivotal roles from IEEE Future Networks to the Internet Society, 3GPP, and EU research on next-generation networks.

Organizers say his keynote will set the tone for the conference, unpacking how Africa can assert digital sovereignty, safeguard its data, and lead in shaping the ethics and standards of AI on the global stage.

“This year’s theme, ‘Sovereign Intelligence: Africa’s Voice in the Global Digital Order,’ isn’t just a concept, it’s a necessity,” said Dr. Evans Woherem, Chairman of Digital Africa Consult. “Prof. Ladid’s keynote will highlight what it takes for Africa to remain safe, independent, and powerful in the new AI era.”

At a time when global powers are racing to define AI norms and secure digital dominance, Africa risks being left behind if it fails to act. Much of its technology remains imported, its data stored abroad, and its languages invisible in mainstream AI systems.

DACE 2025 is designed to change this narrative, by equipping Africa with the tools, strategies, and partnerships to become a proactive co-author of the digital future.

The conference will feature high-level dialogues on digital sovereignty, policy innovation, and cross-border cooperation, alongside exhibitions of homegrown startups, developer workshops, and showcases of African-built AI tools for health, agriculture, finance, and education.

Beyond the panels and showcases, DACE 2025 is expected to produce a concrete roadmap for Africa’s digital sovereignty.

“This isn’t just about technology,” noted Woherem. “It’s about agency, safety, and independence. With Prof. Ladid setting the stage, we hope to leave Abuja with a united vision of Africa’s place in the global AI order.”

With delegates expected from across Africa and the world, the two-day gathering promises to be a defining moment in the continent’s digital journey.