Public Cemeteries Under Siege – Who Cares?

When we were small boys growing up in the KNUST (Tek) enclave, we took it upon ourselves, albeit, unsolicited, to explore every nook and cranny of the surrounding communities.

Mention them – Boadi, Ayigya, Kotei, Kentinkrono, which housed a mini Cathedral situated in the midst of bushes owned by the late Reverend Dr. Blankson where mentally retarded persons were chained to objects – human rights was not in the vocabulary of the Church, in fact, it was yet to be birthed, thus the rights of inmates were trampled upon with grave impunity and this was a Church, Oduom, Appiadu, Donyina, Ayeduase, Bomso, Gyinase, Susuanso, among others.

I took no particular note of the cemeteries of the aforementioned communities, but there was one cemetery that struck me, that of Ayeduase, well curated, sandwiched between Ayeduase and Kotei.

During our time, ‘sakawa’, murder and other hideous crimes we are experiencing currently were not on the dinning table. People moved freely without fear, but cemeteries were accorded special accord and one such cemeteries was that of Ayeduase.

People from Ayeduase wanting to access Kotei assembled by a stand pipe on the periphery of Ayeduase township, which stretched to Kotei. They waited till there was a sizable number, usually including a male before they set off for Kotei.

As intimidated earlier, it was not because of robbers and the likes, but fear of walking pass the cemetery, which was situated on the right side on the stretch. In fact, as one cruise pass the cemetery, she/he took the left turn salute, avoiding any scenery with the cemetery – it was sacred, reverend and feared and no one  took it for granted for the “ghosts will come after thee”. There was a similar assembly point at Kotei, around the Roman Catholic school for patrons to Ayeduase.

Years later when l sojourned at Asante Effiduasi, reverence for cemeteries was more pronounced. Dare you having anything doing with the cemetery (nsamanp?n mu). Children were “forbidden” to follow corpse to the cemetery for burial, one wouldn’t even dare. The mere pointing a finger at the direction of a cemetery attached its own sanctions – one had to bite the tip of all-the ten fingers, else a calamity shall befall thee.

The elderly who accompanied corpse thereto observed some spiritual and personal hygiene thereafter – they had a special bowl placed at the entrance of the house, filled with water and some herbs therein for which each person returning from the cemetery after laying to rest, a family member, friend or foe had to wash the feet, hands and sometimes the face to ward off “alleged bad spirits” that was believed, might have involuntarily followed them home.

The above scenarios demonstrated how we held our cemeteries sacred and in high esteem years ago.

CURRENT STATE

Children now act as harbingers, oh yes, precede corpses to the cemeteries before the final nail is even placed on the coffins for dispatch thereto. They freely access mangos and other fruits therein which hitherto, was unthinkable (taboo).

Cemeteries lands including, but not limited to that of my hometown, Asante Effiduasi and Agbogba in Ga East, Accra, have been seriously encroached upon, dwindling it in size – WHO CARES, after all, let the dead, bury the dead.

Regards the former, developers have taken a chunk of the cemetery land and actually erected structures on some tombs. As if that was not enough, commercial activities are carried out briskly on the encroached part with some trading in “eatables” with none including the traditional, health authorities and Assemblies, blinking an eye – the health implications are pregnant.

It is instructive mentioning here that in spite of population growth, no concrete step(s) were taken to either relocate the cemetery (granted, where can one find land now?) or protect the confines of the cemetery. Nor is it all, some unscrupulous persons have turned the overgrown cemetery into a place of convenience. Added to, it now serves as thoroughly fare to the immediate neighborhoods.

That of Agbogba, which is right on the Agbogba/Old Ashongman/Ablor Adjei/ Abokobi stretch is just nauseating, as if to tell the dead, ‘TO GET AWAY’.

Yah, aside “pushing’ the dead aside on their own land (territory), sand and stone being traded have been dumped on some tombs, “blindfolding” the dead, oh yes, virtually turned into a market space and for other commercial activities, which have sprung thereon including a used furniture shop. I shall reiterate by way of emphasis- the cemetery is on the main Agbogba/Old Ashongman/Ablor Adjei/ Abokobi stretch.

In other jurisdictions, galamseyers have completely taken over the entire cemeteries with corpses crying for reburial, yah, open graves are commonplace, to hell with its health implications.

The Assemblies cannot plead “alibi” to the aforesaid scenarios as the aforementioned cemeteries are situated either before entering the township or immediately thereafter on the main trunk road.

ASSEMBLIES & TRADITIONAL AUTHORITIES

Cemeteries have been neglected by the Assemblies and more especially by the Traditional authorities. It is my contention that the latter who are supposed to be the custodians of the souls of the departed have failed them woefully.

Corpses are buried haphazardly at cemeteries, no plan, this is to say, land use is not maximized, thus cemeteries are full to capacity to the extent that some corpses do not decay before they are “exhumed” to make room for fresh ones – fancy the health ramifications, but who is watching?

What is very disturbing is, the aforesaid bodies, especially the Assemblies, despite knowingly knowing that the cemeteries are full to capacity, continue to offer large track of land therein to the “well to do” and those who “can pay” to erect elaborate cenotaphs, some comparable to mini houses. This invariably takes off, a chunk of the available land space – it is my contention that, until cremation catches up with us, going forward, this practice must be discontinued and discouraged at our public cemeteries notwithstanding its financial boost to the Assemblies kitty. The quest of the Assemblies to enhance their revenue generation must not take precedence over the welfare of the dead and well-being of the living.

The limited space left must be maximized, well demarcated to avoid wastage of land. A cue can be taken from the Military cemeteries – recall somewhere in Akyem, corpse are buried on top of others.

The Assemblies must create dedicated desks to administer public cemeteries to bring some modicum of sanity therein and, again, to assure the living that upon our death, we shall enjoy some modicum of peace at our final resting places.

It is very sad and disturbing, where has our time tested reverence for the dead gone to?

We have indeed woefully failed to accord our dead and cemeteries the courtesies and necessary attention.

Respectfully, kindly permit me to quote Whately who posits that, “To follow imperfect, uncertain, or corrupted traditions, in order to avoid erring in our own judgment, is but to exchange one danger for another”.

Axiomatically, the Traditional Authorities as custodians of the lands must be blamed, yah, bow down their heads in total shame. They have indeed let both the living and dead down.

By Osei Kwabena Esq. Accra

The post Public Cemeteries Under Siege – Who Cares? appeared first on The Ghanaian Chronicle.

Read Full Story