However...after doing even more Google digging on the subject of the Cake-Bride, (as opposed to her doppelganger, the Bride-Cake) I have assuaged both my growing feelings of unease over any possible unintended cruelty, as well as reinforced my understanding that I was not, in effect, ridiculing an unfamiliar cultural convention without proper context.
I was initially intrigued by several references (by commentators on various news reports of this story) to "effigies" and "human effigies" playing a major part in several West African traditions. Nonetheless, I was unable to discern any traditions specific to Nigeria or even West Africa as a whole, which might be interpretable as life-size wedding cake auto-effigies. Indeed, the "effigies" referred to would seem to be specifically related to funerary and/or Animist rituals, and as such are generally attributed great spiritual significance. Keeping in mind that West African religion is the basis for much of modern Vodou, one can scarcely imagine that objects of reverence as Vodun/Vodou fetishes would be subjected to being publicly sliced up and eaten. Additionally, the practice of Vodun itself appears to only extend as far east as Benin, and not to be a mainline practice in Nigeria itself. There also appears to be no historical tradition in Nigeria of even consuming Western-style wedding cake; several sites mention cola, beef, yams and palm wine as traditional wedding delicacies. Western-style weddings do appear to be becoming the norm in Nigeria, due to increasing incursion by Christian Missionaries, but this appears to be fairly recent, and in many rural areas traditional/polygamous marriages remain the norm.
I was particularly struck by what seemed to me a distinctly patronizing and paternalistic tone present in many comments and blog posts pertaining to the Cake-Bride. A surprising number of people mentioned ostensibly (and dubiously) similar Ghanaian practices; essentially the equivalent of attempting to explain Canada's fondness for Curling by citing the Central American obsession with soccer. (Ghana and Nigeria are separated by several other independent postcolonial nations, each with its own unique language/s, tribal cultures and traditions.) There also appeared to be a trend to write off the C/B display as merely a quaint foreign custom, and as such one which should be above reproach and/or criticism by Westerners. Several went so far as to accuse others of "racism" for finding humor in the story. To my mind, the above commenters, whilst undoubtedly sincere- even laudable- in their desire to convey respect for cultural diversity, fall into common trap; they attribute personal quirks (both good and bad) to cultural misunderstanding...in the process stripping the human in question of their individuality. (The above thinking is also used, though with perhaps less sincere motives, by individuals attempting to excuse their own less appealing qualities. I once worked with a woman who constantly attempted to excuse/explain her constant rudeness to customers with the refrain, "I'm Boricua!" as though that somehow negated the need to not sneer and roll her eyes at paying customers...)
Last of all, I discovered during my perusal of several online articles (published by major news syndicates) that the coverage of the wedding was no matter of happenstance occasioned by a slow news day or a coincidentally related mass-media event. The woman in question appears to have assembled and distributed press packs to at least 2 media outlets, and perhaps more. As in the case of the Duggar adults, (of whom I have previously written) I hold myself here to a general standard when discussing/satirizing media figures: does or should the individual/s involved have a reasonable expectation of privacy and inferred respect? My best means of determining this is largely based on the behavior of the individual when dealing with the media, specifically whether they deliberately sought to make themselves into media figures, and whether their media seeking is/was driven by events in their own control, e.g. Sarah Palin vs. Mark Klaas: Mrs. Palin has actively sought public recognition and aggrandizement, and has made a large number of specific comments regarding her views on government spending, family and morality. Therefore, it is in my opinion unreasonable for her to claim that her privacy and reputation are infringed upon by the publication of unpleasant and unflattering truths involving the aforementioned subjects. Mark Klass, conversely, has been accused by "rival" anti-crime activists of using his daughter's horrific abduction and murder as a means to gain media prominence and donations for his KlaasKids nonprofit foundation. While I do not disagree that Mr. Klaas does often interject himself in media coverage of missing/murdered children, all evidence points to his simply taking such opportunities not for personal gain, but to increase awareness of his foundation's work to protect children on a national scale. Therefore, I would not consider it appropriate for me to investigate and expose Mr. Klaas' personal, possibly unflattering quirks for the purpose of satire; I have NO doubt that, had he the choice, he would gladly forgo any wisp of fame if he could have his daughter back unharmed.
My synthesis, then, is this: until/unless I discover and/or am presented with further clarifying information, I will consider the subject of the Cake-Bride open to light satire, and wish to also make clear that "Cakebeard" is a fictional satire, and I in no way am presuming to accurately re/present the genuine individual who inspired the narrative. My intention was, and remains, only to light-heartedly caricature a particularly fetching facet of this wonderful, crazy, silly, confusing and delightfully prismatic mosaic of this American media we so dearly love to love...
In Summation:
