Nyinahin Traditional Council enacts bylaws to govern funerals

Nyinahin (Ash), Feb. 4, GNA - The Nyinahin Traditional Council has banned the use of uniform funeral costume and the use of electronic gadgets to provide music during the 40th day and one-year funeral observations. Mr Asare Boateng, Chairman of the Nyinahin Funeral Committee, who made this known to the GNA at Nyinahin on Monday, said the move was part of bylaws enacted by the Council to reduce unnecessary expenditure during funerals.

He said the funeral committee set up by the Council had now been mandated to organise funerals on behalf of bereaved families and therefore bereaved families ought to inform the committee of any bereavement to ascertain that the deceased had not defaulted in the payment of a GH¢1 monthly levy imposed on citizens by the Council. The committee chairman said if the dead were found to be a defaulter, no funeral organization would be allowed till all outstanding debts and a penalty of GH¢20 had been paid to the committee. Mr Boateng who stressed that the bylaw, the contravention of which would attract various fines also applied to Nyinahin natives who died abroad and were carried home for burial and funeral rites. According to the bylaws parents who lost their children for the first time known as "sode?" would not be allowed to hold funerals but would be given an amount of GH¢60 by the committee if they were contributors.

The committee chairman announced that places such as the Old Market, Salem School Park, New Town, Zongo and Agya Moosi had been earmarked as grounds for funerals whiles all farming activities were not allowed on funeral days. 04 Feb. 08