We attended a funeral in Ashaiman, an Ewe community on the eastern outskirts of Accra. I assumed it would be a difficult day. A day where we would witness morning at its worst, similar to what we would experience here in North America. However, we were quick to learn about the cultural differences between Canada and Ghana regarding what it actually means to celebrate one's life.
The drums arrive. The dancers take their places.
As this was our very first live exposure to the Ghanaian musical trio of drums, dance and song, I was in complete awe and well, confused. Men were drumming, playing the axatsi and the gancogui while women were dancing away. How could this possibly be a funeral? We were told that the burial of the body is a more private ceremony and one more for obvious mourning. Following this, the community as a whole attends another ceremony, like this one, to truly and publicly celebrate the life that has been lost by playing their traditional music, dancing, drinking and enjoying themselves.
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