Traditional Ghanian Funeral

Yes, you are reading it right - we visited a traditional Ghanaian funeral and no, we do not know the deceased. 👀
In Ghana, the funerals are big social events where up to a few hundreds people can attend. It is enough to know someone from the family and friends and then you can invite your friends as well. This time, we knew the daughter of the deceased who is our seamstress. We did not really blend in, as we never do here, but we tried to be as respectful as possible. Little did we know that this would include going around the whole place, waving and eventually dancing in the middle of the huge „stage“. Watch some of the videos to see how it looked like - approximately 200 people attended and watched as we tried to follow the dance of the natives. We sure were able to make the crowd laugh, which was highly appreciated. In Ghana, you show your sorrow and respect for the family with a dance. So we just went with it 😎
All in all, it was a very impressive event - the sad part is in the morning where people can go to see the body and take part in the burial. That part is there to express your sadness with tears and cries. In the afternoon, it feels much more like a party. Everyone is dressed in black, those who know the family closely wear a special textile that is orange-red with black print and the close family wears red.

Enjoy the video for a feel of what we were lucky enough to witness from within.

(K. & Y.)

FAQ:

Who died?
-> The father of our seamstress, we do not know him and we met her just two times. We were invited even before we got to Ghana.

Does everyone get a funeral like this?
-> Yes, virtually everyone get‘s this funeral. Of course it is even bigger the more famous or important you are.

How do you dress?
-> If you do not know the family closely, you just dress black. If you know the family, you dress in red with black print and if you are directly related, you wear red.

Can anyone come?
-> No, you have to be invited by the family or by someone who is invited. Another option is if you knew the deceased directly, you can come to pay your respect.Read more