Funerals play a very important role in the lives of Ghanaians. A lot of money is spent on the funeral ceremony and sometimes if families do not have the money they wait for months or even years to have a funeral ceremony. Some people have the services over a week but most of the funerals are for three days – Fridays, Saturdays through to Sundays which is when the church service takes place.
I recently attended two funerals and due to miscommunication missed a chief’s funeral although observed some of the ceremonial dances and singing on the streets. People wear red and black on Friday and Saturday ceremonies and white on Sundays. A lot of people in Ho were wearing red during the chief’s funeral which went on for a week even if it was just a headscarf. I brought a number of red dresses when I came here because I like the colour and now have to be careful not to wear those dresses to important meetings.
The first funeral I attended was that of the brother o
f VOLPHIG’s Board Chair, Dehole Dometi. His brother was only in his early fifties and had a stroke. The funeral services took place in their home village Kpetoe 30 minutes drive from Ho. I went there with VOLPHIG staff and Board members in the dilapidated trotro. Outside their house, three long marquees had been put up and a lot of people were already seated. There was a table and microphone at one end and musicians under another marquee. Services began in English and translated in Ewe so it took a long time. Dehole was taking down names of people who were donating to the funeral and giving out receipts. Dehole’s brother lay in a room inside the house and people could go
and pay their respects. I went with Mispa and Benedicta and first said a few words of condolences to the family members seated outside the room. I was amazed at the way the room was decorated (I was told afterwards that you can hire different decorations for the funeral. As funerals are so important, it means some people are making a lot of money). The whole room was fitted with white netting and there were a few angels sewed on the net. There were two women, family members, who were in the room swinging whisks and we went in and went around the body (we have the same ritual in Hindu ceremonies as well) twice. Then went to see Dehole to register our 
donations. The amounts donated and by whom is read out during the service.
Outside the service had started, a priest was leading the service and was accompanied by two women singers. This was quite a long service and took over an hour. Then the body was put in a coffin brought out by family members and people paid their respects once again. Everybody then went to the burial ground which was a mile away. I left the service then as Michael was coming home after a week in Accra and used the local trotro service to get back home to Ho. The others stayed for more services and food.
The second funeral we attended was very different. It was held in a church on Friday and the same service was for three people whose coffins were laid out side by side in the church at the front. The father of one of network colleagues had passed away. There were lots of people and so it took ages for people to go round the coffins to pay their respects. The donations were collected in a basket by the coffin so people put their donations in the basket next to the coffin of the person’s funeral they were attending. At one stage there was a big debate as people had gone round and because they were not sure which coffin was whose had put the donations in the wrong basket. We did not get to the bottom of how that got resolved in the end. There was a big difference in the way the coffins were lead out to the burial ground. One coffin nearly dropped because the family members were struggling to carry the coffin, the second one was carried out without a hitch and the third one was done very professionally. The men were wearing a white glove on the hand on the coffin and they marched out in unison with a step to the side. We did not join the burial service nor the food and drinks afterwards as we knew they would not have catered for vegetarians.
The third one was the Asogli chief’s funeral. He had passed away 7 years ago and the local belief is that unless the new chief carries out a funeral service that is approved by the council, he could not really be the official chief. The burial had taken place when the chief died and the funeral service took place a few weeks ago. The new Asogli chief in one of the richest men in Volta and maybe even in Ghana. So a lot of money was spent on the funeral. We were not aware that we could just walk in to the services and pay our respects and so missed the actual services. However, we did see 
the dances on the streets and these were amazing. One of the mornings, Michael in his usual fashion was snapping away and one of the guards carrying a gun told him he needed permission to take photos but he wouldn’t say how this permission could be obtained. Michael was warned that if he continued then his camera would be destroyed!! A lucky escape from an embarrassing situation! We found out later that it was okay to take photos on the streets and the services in the Asogli compound but not during the services at the burial ground and inside the house. I think the man was very drunk and seeing a “Yevu” taking photos took offence and because he had a gun could dictate the terms.
I recently attended two funerals and due to miscommunication missed a chief’s funeral although observed some of the ceremonial dances and singing on the streets. People wear red and black on Friday and Saturday ceremonies and white on Sundays. A lot of people in Ho were wearing red during the chief’s funeral which went on for a week even if it was just a headscarf. I brought a number of red dresses when I came here because I like the colour and now have to be careful not to wear those dresses to important meetings.
The first funeral I attended was that of the brother o
f VOLPHIG’s Board Chair, Dehole Dometi. His brother was only in his early fifties and had a stroke. The funeral services took place in their home village Kpetoe 30 minutes drive from Ho. I went there with VOLPHIG staff and Board members in the dilapidated trotro. Outside their house, three long marquees had been put up and a lot of people were already seated. There was a table and microphone at one end and musicians under another marquee. Services began in English and translated in Ewe so it took a long time. Dehole was taking down names of people who were donating to the funeral and giving out receipts. Dehole’s brother lay in a room inside the house and people could go
and pay their respects. I went with Mispa and Benedicta and first said a few words of condolences to the family members seated outside the room. I was amazed at the way the room was decorated (I was told afterwards that you can hire different decorations for the funeral. As funerals are so important, it means some people are making a lot of money). The whole room was fitted with white netting and there were a few angels sewed on the net. There were two women, family members, who were in the room swinging whisks and we went in and went around the body (we have the same ritual in Hindu ceremonies as well) twice. Then went to see Dehole to register our 
donations. The amounts donated and by whom is read out during the service.Outside the service had started, a priest was leading the service and was accompanied by two women singers. This was quite a long service and took over an hour. Then the body was put in a coffin brought out by family members and people paid their respects once again. Everybody then went to the burial ground which was a mile away. I left the service then as Michael was coming home after a week in Accra and used the local trotro service to get back home to Ho. The others stayed for more services and food.
The second funeral we attended was very different. It was held in a church on Friday and the same service was for three people whose coffins were laid out side by side in the church at the front. The father of one of network colleagues had passed away. There were lots of people and so it took ages for people to go round the coffins to pay their respects. The donations were collected in a basket by the coffin so people put their donations in the basket next to the coffin of the person’s funeral they were attending. At one stage there was a big debate as people had gone round and because they were not sure which coffin was whose had put the donations in the wrong basket. We did not get to the bottom of how that got resolved in the end. There was a big difference in the way the coffins were lead out to the burial ground. One coffin nearly dropped because the family members were struggling to carry the coffin, the second one was carried out without a hitch and the third one was done very professionally. The men were wearing a white glove on the hand on the coffin and they marched out in unison with a step to the side. We did not join the burial service nor the food and drinks afterwards as we knew they would not have catered for vegetarians.
The third one was the Asogli chief’s funeral. He had passed away 7 years ago and the local belief is that unless the new chief carries out a funeral service that is approved by the council, he could not really be the official chief. The burial had taken place when the chief died and the funeral service took place a few weeks ago. The new Asogli chief in one of the richest men in Volta and maybe even in Ghana. So a lot of money was spent on the funeral. We were not aware that we could just walk in to the services and pay our respects and so missed the actual services. However, we did see 
the dances on the streets and these were amazing. One of the mornings, Michael in his usual fashion was snapping away and one of the guards carrying a gun told him he needed permission to take photos but he wouldn’t say how this permission could be obtained. Michael was warned that if he continued then his camera would be destroyed!! A lucky escape from an embarrassing situation! We found out later that it was okay to take photos on the streets and the services in the Asogli compound but not during the services at the burial ground and inside the house. I think the man was very drunk and seeing a “Yevu” taking photos took offence and because he had a gun could dictate the terms.
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