Death by Chocolate

One of the other effects of the cocoa harvest (see below/earlier entry), is that funerals for people who died 3 or 4 months back take place with the knowledge that the mourners are finally able to give a decent ‘tribute’. We were invited to a joint shebang last weekend for both our librarian’s aunt (deceased since August) and a General of the Ghanaian army. As his son is also a serviceman, there was a big troop of camo-clad types come from Accra to our backward little nowhere for the occasion. They stayed in the Community Centre next to our house, and made a right old racket, I can tell you. At one point I was in half a mind to go up there and, and, and, well cower as they pointed a big gun in my face, I expect. The Scruff on the other paw, always ready for a scrap, was looking at me expectantly all night.

Still, there’s something pleasantly familiar about being woken by a trumpet at dawn playing a salute to fallen comrades. The funeral itself was the usual noisy affair with much hand and booty shakin’. Most of the day, you just sit there in a big circle as people take turns to walk round and greet everyone else. Because of what seemed to be a game of musical chairs, I was at one point in the position of Linguist for the chief of the village, much to general amusement. One thing I like is that everyone still proudly wears their traditional dress, and the variety of cloth is pretty impressive. There must’ve been over 300 people there and pretty much everyone was wearing a different pattern. I particularly enjoy the happy-clappy groups of singers from the respective churches. We went to the Catholic church (the librarian’s aunty was a papalist) before the funeral began and then joined the procession down to where everyone else was sat, on the footy pitch as a matter of fact. This was funny for the observation that everyone was walking and dancing with the brass band but nobody had to resort to the half skip, common to British weddings, that Peter Kay skits so well.

As we’re obruni, they expect big things from our donation to proceedings. So, after coughing up a larger-than-most-but-not-as-much-as-some sum, we thought it prudent to get the hell out of dodge before the announcer was informed. Cheapo sods you might be thinking, and well, you’d probably be right.