Losing a liked one can be extremely traumatising and in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the grieving approach can be a great deal extra tricky for bereaved family members.
This is simply because less than usual instances people have a tendency to count on each individual other for assistance in periods like these by coming with each other to offer you ease and comfort to just about every other.
Sad to say, coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc on a lot of of these norms.
In the heart of Accra, is Osu a person of the suburbs. The overall body of a 63-year-previous girl is laid in state at the household property of Cornelius Adumuah We.
Clad in pink and black clothes, mourners file earlier the entire body of Rosemond Maku Dowuona to pay their last regard. Tears stream down the faces of some spouse and children associates and nicely-wishers as they look at the lifeless human body.
Mindful of the rapidly-spreading coronavirus, hugs and handshakes are absent listed here but dirges are not. Not even the virus and the nose masks worn would reduce loved ones users and properly-wishers from expressing their grief and sorrow through singing.
In accordance with the President’s directive on mass gatherings, the household of Rosemond clarifies they experienced to strictly abide by it.
“It was made the decision at the pre-burial conference on 28th April to abide by the President’s directive. We are all mindful of the quickly-spreading coronavirus and the implications of mass gatherings so we had to make the difficult selection of sending some people away’’, a family elder, Jonathan Nortei Dowuona explained in an interview with JoyNews.
According to Ga customs and traditions, Kotsagbamo is incredibly significant. This rite is done prior to the corpse is bathed.
Chewing sponge, some garments of the deceased and cloths, cleaning soap, towel and other sanitary objects are made use of to conduct the Kotsagbamo rite. Prior to the outbreak of Coronavirus in Ghana, this ceremony was characterised by the extravagant screen of wealth amid loud songs and celebration but this time close to, the rite was performed devoid of all that.
In accordance to Numo Blafo III, Ga Blafo Wulomo of Asere, “currently it is carried out in a way as if men and women are heading into marriage or a little something but during this interval, you will locate about two or a few individuals carrying these things to wherever the ceremony would be performed. The several people who will bathtub the corpse are the types who will only go to the mortuary. Ahead of you will see a busload of sympathisers going to bring the corpse house. All people matters have been curtailed’’.
He, hence, believes the outbreak of the virus and the ban on mass gatherings will aid project the true lifestyle of the Ga persons.
“It acquired to a place where by all through the funeral that is when you see people today cooking at the grounds of the funeral, which wasn’t accomplished just before and even serving of food stuff. This was not performed in advance of. Right now it even will become much more like a get together. The pandemic I’ll say has taken us to wherever we have been right before. To me, if we can maintain or sustain it, then far more of the society would be seen’’, he remarked on the craze of Ga funerals.
The Dowuona loved ones is not the only just one to bury their deceased relative in the course of this period.
At Transitions Funeral Household in Haatso, the family of the late Stephen Abbey is keeping a non-public burial and funeral support for their beloved a person in the chapel. In the course of the company, all the social distancing protocols are noticed to the letter.
The chapel wherever the assistance is being held would generally accommodate about 200 people in advance of the outbreak of Coronavirus, but this time around, the story is distinctive.
Only about 20 mourners are authorized in the chapel to fork out their last respect to the deceased. The relaxation according to the Gross sales and Marketing Manager are permitted to participate in the services through other suggests of engineering.
“We have dwell streaming obtainable. We give the spouse and children a backlink so they can share with all the other loved ones members so they are equipped to perspective the company in the ease and comfort of their homes’’, reported Grace Ofosu-Donkor, Gross sales and Marketing and advertising Manager of Transitions.
She clarifies this and other initiatives adopted by the organisation would inspire other bereaved families to bury their liked types during this interval rather of waiting for a doable lifting of the ban on mass gatherings by the President.
With a couple of times to the expiration of the ban on mass gatherings and other limitations, several bereaved people even now believe they have an obligation to organise what they take into consideration a befitting farewell ceremony in the sort of huge and extravagant funerals so they are keenly waiting for the President to make that ‘big announcement’’ on Might 31.
But most likely, it’s time Ghanaians have a renewal of frame of mind about the lavish expending on the dead and alternatively focus on the residing as prompt by a lot of.
