Facts from Fiction, Myths from Reality, Widowhood Rites in an African Society: A Barbaric Tradition or a Consolidation of African Values?
Journal Title: Studies in Social Sciences and Humanities - Year 2015, Vol 3, Issue 4
Abstract
In many African societies, when a man dies and leaves his wife (or wives) behind, culture demands that the widow (or widows) undergoes certain traditional mourning rituals before and after the burial of her deceased spouse, after which she can be cleansed of the ghost spirit of her late husband. Therefore, the main essence of the rites is to break the spiritual relationship between the deceased husband and the surviving wife (or wives). Unfortunately, most studies on widowhood rites in Africa generally bemoan the so-called dehumanising treatment of widows, ranging from denial of basic human rights, to intense public display of sorrow. In this paper, we demonstrate - through a vivid description of how the widowhood rites are performed among the Dagbamba of northern Ghana - that contrary to what has been termed as barbaric practices against women, the widowhood rites were not instituted to devalue womanhood in Africa.
Authors and Affiliations
Adam Peter Pazzack, Haruna Abdallah Imam
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP28607
- DOI -
- Views 208
- Downloads 7
Analysis of Women Participation in Politics and Political Leadership in Enugu State, Nigeria and the Marketing Promotion Implications
The study undertook a critical analysis of the level of women participation in politics and political leadership in Enugu State of Nigeria, and the marketing and promotion implications of that. It was motivated by the...
State Assistance, Poverty and Social Sensitivities in Argentina in the 21st Century
Social programs might be defined as institutional and normative designs to “administer” the social fallouts of the “flaws” of the capitalist system. Simultaneously, these programs operate as different means of building...
Development of the Attitudes towards Depression and Schizophrenia Scale (ADSS)
Research into Chinese people‟s attitudes towards mental illness is significant given the increasing cultural diversity of our population and the unfortunate but alarming increase in the prevalence of mental illness, pa...
The Ethic of Religious Pluralism and Human Rights in Schools: Re-Evaluating the Multifaith Approach in Zimbabwe
The power and role of religion in society, just like that of education, is as old as humanity itself. This truism continues to be manifestly intrinsic even in our day. In general, the contemporary religious landscape in...
Effects of Reciprocal Obligation: According To Iranian Laws
Cautionnement or pledge contract is among personal obligations and its main effect, according to Shiite jurisprudents, is transacting obligations. However, most of the public canonists consider the main element of this...