BURIAL PRACTICES IN AFRICA (Wafrica Guest Post)

This piece below is Authored by @joyceokpobo, edited and posted by @mcsamm for @wafrica.

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Have you ever wondered what will happen to your body when you die? I know you would answer, buried of course. Yes it would be buried but the manner in which it would be treated is determined by the culture and traditions of your tribe. In Africa, traditional systems and culture of burying the dead is still prevalent. Sometimes I wonder, why people go through so much for the dead. I know everyone deserves a befitting burial but a lot of times, people do more for the dead than they did while the person was still living.The problem is worse-off if the person is royalty. That means several heads may have to roll. Or if the person was from a wealthy background, it means a very elaborate burial, several cows and goats on the line, matching attire for the family members, live band, canopies and lots more.

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A lot of ritual accompany the death and burial of a person. These rituals are deeply rooted in the traditions, culture, beliefs, and indigenous religions. Activities preceding the burial of a deceased person depends on several factors and varies even amongst several ethnic groups even within a country. Some of these factors are the traditions of the people in question, the nature of death, age of the deceased, and suspected possible cause of the death. Why all of these rituals I ask myself. Well, the only answer I could find is, to ensure that the deceased is properly put to rest so his spirit is at peace. Well, with the African traditions, I still find some burial practices funny or rather archaic and out of place.

ln Nigeria for instance, some groups often bury the deceased with some items to help him on his journey to the land of the dead. Funny right? The Yoruba tribe for example, include clothes, food items, cooking utensils, live goat, chicken or other animals, so the deceased will be well furnished in readiness for the journey into the other world. While other tribes include weapons like spear or cutlass especially when they feel that there is a mystery behind the person's death.

In other parts of Africa, rituals preceding burial include turning all pictures to face the wall and covering all mirrors, windows and reflective surfaces so the dead can't view themselves. In South Africa, the windows are smeared with ashes and the deceased person's bed removed from the bedroom.

Thank God for where we are today with the influence of foreign culture, increase in literacy level of people and modern day religion. A lot of bad practices accompanying burial in Africa in particular and West Africa in general are gradually becoming a thing of the past. This is to say that there are better things to come in the future of African traditions.

To learn more about practices connected with African traditions and burials. Click

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