Funerals

For the past week I have been working with the Chalice staff on Microsoft Office programmes at the Office in Lassia. During our 60-75 minute drive from Wa to Lassia, we pass through many villages.  Today two of the villages were in mourning. One village was Christian, the other Muslim. In this area Christian villagers traditionally place the body of the deceased person on a mat and people gather from all around for 24 hours to sing, play the drums, dance and drink pito. Pito is a traditional fermented maize drink which tastes like malted apple juice to me. The women do the bulk of the singing, dancing and mourning. The men wear their traditional smocks and carry a goat skin pouch that contains coins and shells. The shells are a currency in this area and together with the coins are tossed during the singing and dancing to help with funeral expenses. At the end of the mourning period the body is buried with the mat near the home. If the family can afford it they sometimes bury the body in a coffin. For Catholics the Priest comes to the Village to say Mass, or the body is brought to the Church and Mass is celebrated there.
The Muslim tradition is different. The deceased person is buried as soon as the grave has been prepared. Early the next morning people come to greet the family of the deceased. The women sit together close to the house or in the compound, while the men sit together outside. Three days later they gather again for another prayer session and a special meal is served to the mourners. This is repeated seven days later, forty days later and a year later.
In Ghana Muslims and Christians live peacefully side by side. From the In-service Training Centre where I'm staying to the Internet Cafe, it's a short walk along a busy road filled with numerous tiny shops and services. Interspersed among this busyness are areas where Muslims gather to pray. Their chanting and prayers blend into the sounds of motorcycles, music blaring, motors running, maize being grounded, people talking and children playing.