One ride, two funerals, three Ghanaian cedis

Early on Saturday morning as we arrived onsite, chairs and tents were being set up for he funeral service in the adjacent field. The traditional Ghanaian funeral has a red and black motif (unless the deceased is older than 80 years of age, in which case the motif would be white). I had been assigned to work on the wooden sunshades at the backside of Ho House; therefore I have had the pleasure to witness the most unordinary funeral celebration in the adjacent field. 10 o’clock came around when the field became bustling with attendees of the funeral. At quarter after 10, 5 tro-tros (the local vans that ordinarily serves commuters between Ho and Todze) skipped over the rugged terrain and drove into the field, reminiscent of car chasing scenes in old Hollywood movies. The tro-tros circled the field with no intension to slowdown making muddy tracks along the way. The close proximity to spectators made anyone who is unfamiliar with the funeral ceremony run for their lives, but the attendees cheered and cried loudly and fearlessly, as were the people who were hanging off of the tro-tros. No sooner as the tro-tros come to a stop did the people in them bust out with the coffins held above their heads. The scene was so frantic and the people seemed so far under the influence of alcohol the coffins were shook and almost dropped. The men and women cheered and danced wildly to the beats of drum and brass instruments around the coffin making the scene more festive than it is grime. I find it quite fitting and lovely that the funerals are conducted as a celebration of life here. Instead of the grief and the sorrow (which I suppose is still present but contained), people energetically expressed their gratitude toward the deceased and their accomplishments and contributions to the community. The funerals eventually quiet down into a much more familiar scene of a service before the deceased were carried off to the burial ground. I had the pleasure of leaving the site a couple hours early, so I decided to take the tro-tro back to the hotel. At the tro-tro station, the festivity continued with women dancing to the music and the men standing around cheering. The very same tro-tro that contained one of the coffins was there and ready to serve its regular duty. I got onto one of the tro-tros departing for Ho. 16 people packed into the family-sized van making it difficult to move during this 45-minute trip. The women on the tro-tros were wearing red and black dresses and decked out in gold jewelries. They sang, joked, and laughed throughout the trip once again carried the festive atmosphere into the car. What a lovely way to remember some you loved (and it only cost me 3 cedis to get back to the hotel)!