Celebrations of Birth and Death

Mary, one of the young women who works as a seamstress at COLWOD, recently gave birth to a beautiful girl. For the previous two or three weeks, everyone was amazed when she appeared each day at the shop looking VERY pregnant but evidently not yet ready to deliver. Sr. Jacky and I drove over to Mary's compound for the "naming of the baby" celebration and we all took turns having pictures taken with the newly arrived "Fatima." Mary is Christian and married a Muslim (A Muslim man is allowed to marry a non-Muslim but not so for a Muslim woman to marry outside her faith.) so they awaited the Imam to come and offer prayers for the baby and family.
In contrast, Jim was able to witness the funeral celebration (actually the burial) of one of the most important chiefs in this area, - the "Keeper of the Land." This chief had been in power for forty years. A fellow worker at the hospital took Jim on the back of his motorbike to the cemetery where they joined the throngs of people and listened to the gun salutes. A directive also went out that the stores in town should close out of respect. Any left open would be subject to looting with officials conveniently looking the other way. The chief was a Muslim and therefore buried quickly. The third day after his death, special prayers are said and for the next few days continuous drumming and dancing are performed. The seventh and fortieth days are also especially designated.
Christian and "traditional" funerals have a very different ritual and sometimes the families of the departed take quite a long time preparing for the celebration. It is not uncommon for a person to be kept "in the frig" as the Ghanaians say, and buried a month or two after death. Obituary notices often accompanied by a photo are frequently posted listing family members and chief mourners and announcing the place, date and time of burial services and final funeral rites.