Announcing the death of the living: Are we losing our cultural values?

If there’s anything that almost everybody fears in this life, then it’s death. The mere mention of the word alone sends shivers down one’s spine. It is, therefore, not a surprise that many ethnic groups in Ghana use euphemisms for death simply to lessen the shock that one could have when it is mentioned.

I believe everybody has lost a friend, a father, a mother, a child, a boss, a subordinate or a colleague and for that matter knows how painful such experiences are. I have personally lost close relatives and friends. It took me many years to recover (not fully though) from the shock of losing a very close friend at the university. We resided in the same hall of residence.

He was my next-door neighbour and we read the same course. We openly discussed and shared our personal problems with each other. In fact, we were more or less brothers.

In our final year, when the “going” (the course) became very tough and we were overwhelmed by assignments and class tests, my friend told me “Sammy, don’t worry oooh, we shall surely make it”. About two and half weeks to our final examinations, he fell sick and was admitted to hospital. I visited him almost every day and encouraged him.

During one of my visits to the hospital (which unfortunately happened to be the last visit), he looked fine and we even cracked jokes. His doctor assured me that he would be discharged the next day.

I left him around 6p.m. for campus. About midnight, the news came that my friend had passed away. In fact words could not describe how confused and traumatised I was. Somebody who always encouraged me to be steadfast and that we would make it could not finish the course. I, therefore, know how it feels when one loses a loved one. I wish to reiterate that losing someone is indeed a sad and difficult thing.

Mourning is a Ghanaian culture

As a people, our culture requires that we mourn with relatives of the dead. I vividly remember that some years ago, especially in our villages and towns, it was a taboo to either go to the farm or the market when someone died. The reason, I believe, was just to ensure that everyone was present at the funeral to mourn with the bereaved family. The solemn practices and rites associated with funerals are evidence of how painful it is to lose someone. It is, therefore, not a surprise that killing someone or even threatening to kill someone is a criminal offence in Ghana. In fact it is criminal to even attempt to take one’s own life. This is because life is irreplaceable.

The death of a relation can result in many devastating consequences. It could truncate some people’s education and apprenticeship; affect some people’s livelihood, not to mention the emotional and psychological trauma that others suffer, which could even result in ill-heath. As mentioned earlier, death is not something that people should joke with. It is a serious issue.

One, therefore, wonders why someone could just wake up one day and knowing very well that what he was about to say was untrue yet would go ahead and announce that so and so was dead. Do such people consider the consequences of their actions? Well, I cannot think for, or give the exact reason why someone may do so. I can only speculate. I think it is pure hatred. Because I hate you so much, I would not mind if you’re dead and gone!. Period! That is what I think.

Otherwise, what other reason? Just for the fun of it? I don’t think so. In fact, with our cultural background, one cannot joke that someone is dead. Not even on April Fool’s Day.

Not a novelty

In Ghana, announcing people’s death while they are not dead is not new. But this behaviour must stop! It is morally wrong! I remember the deaths of the former President, Professor JEA Mills, the former Vice President, Alhaji Aliu Mahama, and the former NPP Chairman, Mr Jake Obetsebi Lamptey ( May they all rest in peace) were announced while they were indeed not dead at the time. We woke up only to hear that the former Chairman of the Electoral Commission, Dr Kwadwo Afari Gyan, was also dead whereas the man was as fit as a fiddle, going about his private farming business.

There are many advantages of social media such as whatsApp and Facebook. Unfortunately some people are using them negatively, including announcing the death of people who are alive. I am aware that Information Technology experts, in collaboration with telecommunication companies, are able to trace people who use their mobile phones or personal computers to propagate those rumours. Of course, one may not be the original (first) person to have started the rumour but when as many as those who re-posted it are arrested and punished for causing fear and panic, such irresponsible behaviour may stop. It therefore means that one has to be very careful and be sure of the authenticity of whatever message he or she receives before he/she re-posts it.

Parents, teachers and society in general have a huge responsibility to educate the youth especially, to understand that taking someone’s life or wishing that the person is dead is not a good way of resolving issues. There are different ways of resolving conflicts and it is needless to wish for someone’s death because you do not like the person.

In the name of so-called civilisation, we are losing many of our rich cultural values. I remember in those days a younger person was taught to treat any elderly person he/she came across as either his biological sister, brother, father or mother. Consequently, he /she was ready, for instance, to get up from his /her seat in a public transport for an elderly person who was standing to sit down.

These days the younger person would tell you he also paid for his seat so why should he get up for someone else? Of course, he’s right but culturally, there’s something missing. We cannot run away from the fact that respect for the elderly and authority is eluding us. Well, I don’t have any evidence to support the kind of irresponsible messages that are put up in the social media these days but I would be very much surprised if they are done by the elderly.

Religious bodies should also continue to teach their members tolerance and let their followers understand that violence and retaliation to the point of killing and wishing that someone is dead is unacceptable. Just as none of us want to die, we should stop wishing others dead. Enough of using social media to cause fear and panic. As mortals, we will surely die one day. But we should wait and allow God to call people as and when He wills, not us announcing people’s death before their time.