Ghanaian undertaker Sister Ama has spoken out about a bizarre funeral tradition that is still causing fascination and controversy -dressing the dead in a way that reflects how they lived or worked in life.
In an interview with Razak Ghana on Razak Ghana TV, Sister Ama made the bold statement that undertakers in Ghana do not plan to halt this increasing tradition any time soon.
She says that the undertakers themselves are usually not the ones who request the dressing of a de@d person in a manner that reflects their occupation or character: the relatives of the deceased are the ones to make that request.
She said that, ‘If a person used to smoke weeds during his life, we will dress him up that way and even stick a weed in his mouth. “We are just doing what the family desires.”
However, she stressed that most critics look at this practice with repugnance or through a very limited scope, yet it is profound and has very practical purposes.
‘It may appear odd or disrespectful to those on the outside,’ she said, ‘but to many families it is a means of celebrating the life that their loved one led.’
Sister Ama also disclosed that this type of customization of funerals is helping to push their business.
People who attend the funeral usually make pictures or record videos of the corpse, which become viral and gain attention, resulting in increased business for the undertakers.
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“Word-of-mouth has people attending our creativity in one funeral and hiring us in theirs. It is a kind of fashion,” she said proudly.
Some Ghanaians have hailed the undertakers as being creative; however, others are of the view that some of the portrayals, such as dressing the dead as smokers or criminals, might convey the wrong message.
However, Sister Ama repeats that the most important thing is to provide families with what they request and to treat the dead in a manner that conveys their reality.
With the discussion raging both on the internet and in society, it appears that this cultural phenomenon is here to stay in the near future.
Rather, it is turning into a daring kind of funeral artwork – wherein the last appearance of an individual reveals his/her life history.
