Accidents on roads up-north have spiritual undertones – Traditionalist

An African Traditional Practitioner Paul Ayamba is urging the country to consider the spiritual undertones if the country is to able to deal holistically with the increasing spate of accidents in the country especially those involving vehicles heading towards the regions up North.

He indicated that a lot of the accidents are not mechanical or due to the negligent acts of drivers but some spiritual factors.

He explains that some cultural practices in the north and people’s inability to adhere to such rituals has been a contributory factor to the carnage on such roads.

Speaking in an interview with Kasapa News’ Central regional correspondent Kwaku Baah-Acheamfour, the African Traditionalist, Paul Ayambah pointed to the burial requirements of some ethnic groups in the north with respect to indigenes who die in the southern as one notable cause of accidents.

“The season for funerals in most northern towns is between February and May and the notable accidents which have claimed many lives in the country especially on roads leading to the north occur between February – May where the souls of dead Northerners in the south are carried to the north for burial and refusal to perform the rights result in such bloody accidents.

He added: “Look that of 2016 around Kintampo happened in February and the recent one is in March, the period for the funerals and I suspect somebody concealed the container housing the soul of the departed for the ritual to be performed by the drivers before moving the car” he stated.

Paul Ayamba explained that persons who are not able to afford the monetary cost of the rituals especially in paying the drivers to convey the soil from the burial ground of the deceased to be finally buried in their spiritual homes up north results in most of the accidents that claim huge numbers over the years.

“Spirits are real just as human beings are. The dead ought to be respected in conveying them to anyplace but people abuse these rituals and the spiritual world ends up being angered to launch attack which is also a cause of the accidents” he emphasised.

He indicated that the high cost involved in performing such rituals pushes a lot of people to conceal the bottles containing such ritual substances hence the rituals not being performed which ultimately results in accidents in the process of conveying the dead to the spiritual homes in the north for burial.

“I am a northerner and I have been in vehicles that such substances were concealed from the drivers and to avoid paying the high cost for the ritual to be performed before the car moved and the result was nearly fatal. I am also aware of instances where people died only for it to be revealed through spiritual consultation regarding the accident that somebody carrying the soil from the burial site of the dead caused the accident. In another case a passenger who also concealed the burial substance had to confess it before the car which was hitherto jerking throughout the journey especially after passing by water bodies started moving well” he stated.

He indicated that the practice is a known ritual among people from the north and the earlier people stopped the concealment of such ritual substances for the practice to be performed, the better in preventing such road carnages.

“Is it not surprising that most of the accidents which have claimed huge numbers happen on roads leading to the north? From the Techiman, Kintanpo road roads to the north? There is more to it and let’s not behave like the Ostrich and deal with the issue head-on. The drivers are aware of it especially those in Kumasi who drive to the north?” Paul Ayamba added.