AN IMAGE of a statesman in loincloths and animal skin looks like a throwback to an age some may regard as backward. The question to be asked is to whom is this backward?

If anything, President Jacob Zuma's wedding is an opportunity for each of us to re-examine our prejudices and make an attempt to live up to the spirit of our Constitution.

It is worth reminding those who balk at the idea of a head of state having multiple wives that our Constitution, which is hailed as one of the most progressive in the world, upholds the rights of communities to enjoy their culture and practise their religion so long as these are not inconsistent with other provisions of the Bill of Rights.

It is the same acceptance of the plurality of our cultures and the different marital regimes that we should keep in mind the next time we seek to judge marriage between same-sex couples.