Funeral Celebration - Costly To The Economy

There has been some discussion on the rising cost of funeral celebrations in the country. The latest was an article on Ghanaweb on October 28, 2006 by John Kesse who argued, “Ghana has gradually drifted towards a society of funeral lovers other than lovers of life.” He suggested a change in our mindset and attitude and believed that diverting resources to care for the living would be a way out, else “we will be stuck in the 19th century instead of edging with competition into the 22nd century”. Is Kesse saying that because some people have chosen to spend so much on funeral celebrations Ghana is still in the 19th century?

In a debate on the floor of Parliament (Ghanaweb.com 11/29/05) the Minority Leader, Alban Bag bin, was reported to have said that ‘we are investing in the dead rather than the living through expensive funerals and that is bad’. He added that the dead should be given decent and not expensive burials knowing very well that whatever was done to the dead it was destined for the grave. In the same debate Alfred Agbesi, MP for Ashiaman, who revealed that he had bought 13 pieces of mourning cloths in one year, called for the introduction of one cloth for all funerals. He argued among other things that, “after spending on expensive cloth, coffins and keeping the corpse in expensive morgues, the widow and children are left with nothing and are expected to fend for themselves.” Mr. Ado, NPP-Okere extolled the Islamic principles of funeral rites and burial which to him was less expensive but decent while Mr. Kunsu called for the byelaws to minimize funeral costs.

It is very interesting to note that this issue had reached the floor of Parliament. One is worried that Parliament would discuss an event that is an individual affair with strong and positive impact on the economy. I would rather want Parliament to discuss the various inhuman treatment meted out to widows and children to deal with the psychosocial effect that befall such people in our midst. No one had been heard addressing a situation whereby a woman is asked to sleep with the dead husband or where a woman is forced to be naked in the presence of others just because her husband is dead. Rawlings’ administration is credited to have addressed the inheritance system with laws passed to divert some estate to children of the deceased father/husband but failed to address the humiliation suffered by some women and children in some parts of the country. Funeral celebration is only an event that lasts for some few days but the trauma for the widows and children persists long after the event.

It is good that MP Ado advocated for the adoption of the Islamic principles of funeral rites and burial but failed to consider the cultural values other Ghanaians attach to them. This involves belief systems, emotions and/or sentiments. These are difficult to quantify and expend with. In financial terms it is very prudent but to some Ghanaians it is an invitation to commit social suicide. It would be difficult to handle an insult like “kwasia, wo maame wuie wotumi too adaka siee no” ( foolishman, at the death of your mother could you buy a coffin to burry her?) Their descendants would never forgive them. Please spare other Ghanaians this option. It is good religion but incompatible with the tradition and customary practices of certain population in the country so far as the dead is concerned.

Those calling for welfare service instead of funeral celebration should take a second look at events. It is easy to suggest that money should be given to sons, nephews, brothers, sisters, nieces etc. to better their lives. How many of these people have not misused resources given to them? Most Ghanaians, especially those in foreign countries, have done a lot for their relatives only to see them squander the monies on women/girls and luxury items. Funeral celebration and welfare services are not interchangeable. They are completely different from each other. Each has its own challenges.

Over the years attempts have been made to control both the cost and size of funeral celebrations. Each attempt has impacted both positively and negatively on the nature of the event in the country, especially among the Asantes. Two of such attempts are of significance here. In the 70s the late Asantehene, Otumfuo Opoku Ware II, directed Asantes to stop serving beers and liquors at funerals. This was his reaction to the rising cost of funerals. Asantes responded by keeping those drinks at home or specified places and served them according to the status of guests before they went to the site of the function. The second one is credited to a minister of the Methodist Church in Kumasi who in his desperation limited the whole program to the fortieth day at the death of an individual. Such an attempt has rather evolved into a function of its own making funeral celebrations more glamorous and fanciful. It appears funerals in certain communities are programmed and/or choreographed.

Another method involves some towns and villages whereby a day is set-aside in every month for the funerals for all who died at a given period. This method makes it convenient for the mourners but does not address the cost of the event. It has rather contributed to the competitive nature of the event as families attempt to attract mourners by various means such as souvenirs including the latest crave – funeral dinner: after the event on Saturday individuals are invited to a functional dinner at a given location or hotel on Sunday. (As at October 30, 2006, the highest figure spent on funeral dinner at a hotel in Kumasi is 20 million cedis.)

Why has the cost of funerals resisted all these attempts and continue to change in form and character? One has to look at the driving forces behind funeral celebrations among the Akans. It used to be that at the death of an individual the corpse was buried the same day or worse by the second day to avoid embarrassment to the dead and the deceased family in terms of decay. With the introduction of mortuary in the hospitals for the preservation of the dead, corpse are now kept for an average of forty days to allow the deceased family to plan for its burial and funeral.

Funeral for individuals were limited in scope and members of the extended family shared the cost. Because of this there was some level of control in the expenses related to the funeral. Most people would not eat in the normal way but “di abuada”. As a sign of respect and mourning tradition conscious people would forgo “fufuo” a popular entrée and its related accessories and eat dokono known populary in Ghana as kenkey.

It used to be that funerals for Kings/Chiefs attracted large groups of people. This involved each King/Chief attending the funeral of a departed colleague with a large entourage. The cost was shared among the sub-chiefs making attendance of such functions cost-effective. The large attendance at funerals became status symbol. With social change a number of people acquired money, positions and fame. These have made it easier for them to attract more people to either their own funerals or those of their loved ones. To attract more people to attend funerals their hosts have chosen to feed and entertain them by inviting various dance bands and traditional drumming groups. In the process the whole thing has become competitive with one person/family trying to out do the other.

A significant force to the rising cost of funerals is the formation of the various Asanteman Associations in the United States and Canada in the early eighties. The Asantes made it their cardinal objective to promote chieftaincy, culture and customary practices in the United States. Among their methods is the funeral celebration of a member’s mother, father, children and loved ones. Each weekend there is one celebration or the other for a member. Attendance at these funerals is somehow mandatory and some lucky ones have gained financially. One condition for this function is that the individual has to go to Ghana and bury his/her father/mother. Ghanaians in the Diaspora has jumped on this bandwagon.

Related to this is the death of a member of the organization in a foreign country. The mortal remain of the individual has to be sent to Ghana for burial in the person’s hometown/village after a befitting funeral has been organized for the member and funds raised to cover the cost involved. This has gone down very well with the Ghana Missions in the various countries. It has saved the Missions the onerous task of locating the deceased family to bear the cost of transporting the corpse to Ghana. At the moment the Missions only hear about the death of a Ghanaian when the corpse is about to be flown home.

This single condition is responsible for the infusion of foreign capital into funeral celebrations in Ghana appropriately dubbed as Abrokyirefuo Ayie since the individuals concerned try to show the world that they have indeed come from overseas (abrokyire). They try to live to a preconceived notion that the best is always from abrokyire. The average expenditure for Aburokyirefuo Ayie is 50 million cedies (about $6,000) and rising. This figure does not include rehabilitation and/or construction of a new family house, airfare and other items that the Aburokyirefuo bring along. Why would anybody seek to curtail/stop the transfer of such resources into the economy, which cost the government next to nothing?

One major effect of the abrokyire-touch to funeral celebrations is the cessation of cost sharing among the extended family members. Abrokyirefuo have put a human face to the cost of funeral celebrations and in the process taken the burden off the shoulders of the family members thus providing a much sort after financial relief to those concerned.

Comparatively, the economies with more of the present type of funeral celebrations appear to be more vibrant and booming. Funeral celebration is the single most dynamic event that propels most economies. A typical example is that of Kumasi, considered the funeral capital of Ghana. One has to look at the various aspects of the economy that are associated with funeral celebration to understand its effect. Hospital – 40 days in the morgue, various payments and tips Transportation – conveying corpse to destination, mourners traveling, petrol Breweries – drinks Textile Industry – 3 different types of cloth, dressmakers Beauticians – dressing corpses, women and their hairdos Food – market women, butchers, fishmongers, chicken sellers, cooking oil, rice Entertainment – Police/Army bands, MUSIGA, Traditional adowa/kete groups Housing – building materials, masons, carpenters, laborers Church – donations, purchases and monuments The list is endless. At the end of the day funerals create jobs and pay handsomely. What other event in the economy compels people to spend more money every weekend? If people are not spending money the economy becomes stagnant and poverty sets in.

Funeral celebration in its present form is good for business. Some few months ago it was announced that the Juapong Textiles Company had been closed down on grounds of poor sales. Persons like Alfred Agbesi who would buy thirteen pieces of cloth within a year for funerals would keep the factory running and the workers gainfully employed. Mourners congregating in a particular place come along with their very basic needs. Business thrives with people. A local businessman may have some items on his shelves for years. Just as the people come in someone finds them and within hours all is gone. We cannot preach privatization and stab businesses behind their backs by attacking the very wheels that propel them.

One has to look at the social cohesion that has developed in Kumasi. As a boy the writer never saw non-Akans attend funerals for an Akan. The opposite is the case right now. People have interacted on different occasions to the point that they now know and support each other. There may be other reasons for this but one particular reason is business through funeral celebrations. Personnel from the Ewe community gain by selling all the nnua/ntabuo for the new house being built by the deceased family, those from the Zongo community sell the cows and serve suya, while there is a debate between maame Nkran’s kenkey and Fanti kenkey as to which is preferred among all others. There is trust and understanding among all. Do we have to fight tribalism and ignore a fundamental element that is doing the very same thing at no financial cost to the government?

Funerals are not publicly funded so what is the noise about? If private funds are being put together for public good why should we complain? The size and form of any funeral is determined by the perceived status and funding capabilities of the deceased family. To some people the event is their last and only chance to show maximum respect and appreciation to their departed father, mother or loved one. Any attempt to interfere would be resisted by “fa sooho wona wobekyere dee yen nye; wonya wodeaa na waye no saa.” (Back off! Are you the one to tell us what we should do? Handle yours that way.)

Funeral celebration does not encourage criminal behavior neither does it lead to the collapse of law and order. Attendance is voluntary. It is entertainment for the masses. Food and drinks are served in the open for anyone who will attend the function amidst various forms of music, drumming and dancing. This is healthy for the society. It encourages fair competition, a hallmark for capitalism. It pumps more foreign and local funds into the economy than any other event. Dilapidated houses are being rehabilitated and new ones being built here and there and more and more people are enjoying good housing. The government gains on daily basis.

It is believed that it would be a waste of resources to attempt in anyway to curtail the extent to which funerals have to be handled. Instead either the central or local government should find a means to reap some benefits to its coffers. What if there is something like Funeral Tax to be collected before/during the “show.” It could be argued that government spent resources to monitor the gathering of many people at one place

For development to be complete there must be an industry around which some others would revolve. Cocoa and Gold have not been able to sustain the economy the way they were supposed to. Our hope for foreign capital to rejuvenate the economy has taken the form of “trickle down economics” (apologies to Reganomics). The entertainment industry and night-life in our cities have been as rigorous as it used to be. In the absence of any other preoccupation let us continue to depend on funeral celebrations as our form of weekend entertainment. As long as the abrokyirefuo/asikafuo (the rich) continue to spend on funeral celebrations let “we the small ones” continue to “chop them small.” If it ain’t broken don’t fix it. Don’t touch that dial!

Opanin Kwabena Mensah

Views expressed by the author(s) do not necessarily reflect those of GhanaHomePage.