Charlene Ruto's wedding in Tanzania: guests asked to leave their phones
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Tuko
The wedding of Charlene Ruto and Isaya Yunge in Mwanza, Tanzania, bans phones for guests. A "Phone Concierge" sign requiring devices to be handed in has leaked, according to Tuko.
Guests at the wedding of Charlene Ruto and Isaya Yunge, celebrated in Mwanza, Tanzania, will have to leave their phones at the entrance: a photo of a "Phone Concierge" sign installed at the ceremony site has circulated online, the Kenyan outlet Tuko reports. The sign, printed in the couple's white and burgundy colours and decorated with floral illustrations, asks guests to take "no photographs or videos during the event" in order to preserve "the privacy and comfort of all guests".
This phone concierge service, common at celebrity weddings, consists of handing in devices at the entrance or locking them in pouches for the whole duration of the celebration, which rules out selfies, live streaming and any image shared on social media. The leak of the sign has revived discussion among Kenyan internet users, some supporting the couple's right to privacy, others mocking how hard it will be for guests to follow the rule.
The ceremony, due to bring together President William Ruto, First Lady Rachel Ruto and several Kenyan and Tanzanian figures, comes after a week of highly publicised festivities: Charlene Ruto's arrival in Mwanza accompanied by drummers and a convoy of luxury cars, a private flight chartered for family and close friends from Kenya, and a pre-wedding photo shoot widely shared online. The sign was photographed outdoors at the site, where parked vehicles and a generator truck can be seen, a sign that preparations were already well advanced.
The rule echoes other recent weddings where Kenyan couples have sought to control the sharing of their images, as in Nairobi, where a bride and groom banned the sharing of their photos in early October.
