Box 7062, kampala, uganda abstract recently the levels of widowhood have increased in countries of subsaharan africa that are afflicted by the hivaids epidemic. The different tribes which constitute the akan ethnic group in ghana are. Pdf this article discusses the plight and suffering of widows in terms of their social, economic, psychological and human rights. Hausa, a nigerian language introduced into ghana nearly 200 years ago, has become a lingua franca common language throughout the country. Sacred ceremonies and rituals, wiley has assembled his photographs of altar objects from brazil, haiti, cuba, south carolina and new orleans into large ornate frames creating collages that reveal the blurred lines between sacred and secular worlds. Socioeconomic transformation of akan funeral rites in ghana. In the case of widows, this fact is often ignored or forgotten. Widowhood the united nations oct 26, 1999 entity and suffers a social death. The rite of mourning the demise of a husband in nigeria has for a very long time been taken to the extreme by the relatives of the dearly departed either because they have plans of punishing the. The present study was conducted to find out the effect of widowhood rites on the psychosocial wellbeing of widows in nadowli district of the upper west. Widowhood practices among the akan of ghanayesterday and today.
In most parts of the world, becoming a widow elicits sympathy. Below you will find ghana gospel music to download and enjoy. Covering 500 years of ghana s history, the ghana reader provides a multitude of historical, political, and cultural perspectives on this iconic african nation. This paper, therefore, investigated widowhood practices among the gbiewes of northern volta region in ghana, so as to ascertain whether these rites and practices are only targeted at dehumanising and oppressing african womanhood, or in spite of its criminalisation in recent times, it still has certain embedded cultural values that ensure the. And, in paulo coelhos hands, the manuscript found in accra reveals that who we are, what we fear, and what we hope for the future come from the knowledge and belief that can be found within us, and not from the adversity that surrounds us. The article widowhood in african society and its effects on womans health is focused on the practices that are oppressive and humiliating to women as a result of the death of the husband. As a young man, vusamazulu credo mutwa, a zulu from the south african province of natal, was determined to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather and become a tribal historian in order to keep the rich oral tradition of his culture alive. Agonies of widows hit by harsh nigerian traditions. Eight departments, associated research institutions and the norwegian college of veterinary medicine in oslo. Professor jone salomonsen a thesis submitted to the faculty of theology, university of oslo, norway in partial. Wileys assembled images focus on the power of the natural elements. Widowhood practices of the gbi northern ewe of ghana african.
The dipo festival celebrated by the kropo people and is a puberty rite for females 2 the aboakyere festival celebrated by the effutus of winneba in the central region of ghana, it is a deer hunting adventure which determines whether there the upcoming year will be good for crops or good for fishing. Kobla dotse published in 2011 xxxx publications disclaimer the material we present here is provided to you mainly for educational and information purposes only. Ghana nkrumahs party now the convention peoples party ccp won 1951 elections. It also sought to find out why widowhood rites persist in spite of ghana being a signatory to many human rights instruments. Ecclesia in africa encourages the development of the church in africa as the family of god. Pdf the present study was conducted to find out the effect of widowhood rites on the psychosocial wellbeing of widows in nadowli district of the. Immigration act, 2000 act 573 arrangement of sections section part ientry and departure 1. Agonies of widows hit by harsh nigerian traditions vanguard. Ancestors are also thought to be much more powerful than the living and able to influence their relatives who are still living lucky as they are. He was also capped for ghana, and was a squad member in the 1992 african cup of nations and the 1997 korea cup. Hoperise is a major force to reckon with in the gospel music scene in nigeria right now as she also doubled up as worship leader and songwriter. Witchcraft, widowhood rites and female genital mutilation fgm have been identified as top three.
May 01, 2010 acrostic in accra mensah, prince kwasi, mensah, prince kwasi on. The article widowhood in african society and its effects on womans health is focused on the practices that are oppressive and humiliating to women as a. Widow, bereavement, widowhood practices, cultural practice. Read the book on paper it is quite a powerful experience. It also sought to find out why widowhood rites persist in spite of ghana being a signatory. Widowhood rites and food taboos have been identified as two cultural and traditional practices on the increase in the asutifi district in the brong ahafo region.
A s of 2010, there were more than 14 million widowed persons in the u. Widowhood rites performed by the akan people, particularly for chiefs and subchiefs. In this paper, we demonstrate through a vivid description of how the widowhood rites are performed among the dagbamba of northern ghana that contrary to. Widowhood practices among the yorubas of south west. Widowhood, remarriage and migration during the hivaids. Widowhood practices and impacts on women in subsaharan. The word akyum is used to describe a group of three states. Widowhood definition is the fact or state of being a widow. Augustine abbey, also known as idikoko, is a ghanaian actor and movie maker known for comedy. Pdf outmoded cultural practices and its effects on. These rites of passages are quite unique and interesting to know, and they are a crucial aspect of the culture of africans.
Then from this time onwards the widow or widower is free to do any work or engage. Pdf effects of widowhood rites on the psychosocial wellbeing. Ensuring that the rights of women are protected needs to first recognise this fact. Learnrite as a company is a collection of finest subject experts with vast experience in their various subject areas and have authored books that have been approved by the national council for curriculum and assesment nacca for second cycle education junior and senior high schools in ghana. Does the electronic version of the book completely replace the paper version. They believe that death is not the end and that life continues in the next world in the same way it did on earth.
Widowhood practices cross borders, please dont think it only happens in nigeria or just africa for the matter. Appearance before immigration officer on entering ghana 3. It discusses concepts of music, dance and performance in general, and also goes into cultural perspectives, performance practices and the form and structure of 22 musical types or dance drumming ceremonies. Tales and proverbs of the vandau of portuguese south africa. We going to be adding new gospel music to the list. It also highlights some of the social ills that are associated with widows in nigeria. Ghana, the succession amended act, uganda, the administrator generals act, cap 140, uganda, to. Nov 26, 2015 dr david harrison is a masonic historian and leading academic expert on the study of freemasonry. Ghana, so as to ascertain whether these rites and practices are only targeted at. Witchcraft, widowhood rites and female genital mutilation fgm have been identified as top. The study employed qualitative technique to collect the primary data. Women who undergo such rites are subjected to mental, physical, and emotional torture, accused of killing their husbands. Wicked widowhood practices that must be abolished in. Widowhood in african society and its effects on womens health.
Issues of discrimination in widowhood in ghana that require addressing in the context of the cedaw introduction women are not homogeneous. Losing ones husband at any point in time whether as a young or old woman is not a thing of envy in africa. Sandee lamotte, cnn, widowhood increases risk of alzheimers, study says, 26 feb. This study examined widowhood practices among the yorubas of south west nigeria with the aim of investigating whether there are vacations in widowhood rites that women experienced based on their social status. Ilorin journal of religious studies african journals online. Aids africa continent in crisis helen jackson, 2002, published by safaids identifies widowhood as a primary risk factor for hivaids infection in africa and advocates, promoting the rights of widows and orphans around inheritance as a means to decrease hivaids infection among women pg. Best of all, if after reading an ebook, you buy a paper version of manuscript found in accra. Ghanaians introduction, location, language, folklore. The impact of widowhood rite on the ghanaian woman in the. The music and dance traditions of ghanas four main ethnic groups are covered comprehensively in this book.
Whereas recent studies of early modern widowhood by social, economic and cultural historians have called attention to the often ambiguous, yet also often empowering, experience and position of widows within society, widowhood and visual culture in early modern europe is the first book to consider the distinct and important relationship between ritual and. Section six is the data presentation which includes data analysis and discussion of findings and the last section concludes the study. Widowhood is the state of an individual whose spouse has died and who has not remarried. Pdf effects of widowhood rites on the psychosocial well. Marriage and the widowhood effect life expectancy after. The impact of widowhood rite on the ghanaian woman in the new. Use of and access to victims support services and institutions 231 6.
He played for hearts of oak in ghana, except for the 199495 season at sportul studen. The worrisome and disturbing aspect of this phenomenon is that in contemporary ghana, the practice of widowhood rites is pervasive and shows no sign of abating in the nearest future. First of such was their justification for a widows confinement is that this. Ghanas constitution of 1992 with amendments through 1996. Recommendations with respect to attitudes towards domestic violence in ghana 236 6. Within ghana, twi is spoken in the ashanti region and in parts of the eastern, western, central, volta and brong ahafo region. They are all tonal language like the word papa, which means many things in different places in ghana and even in other countries. There are many divisions of the twi languages, but they are all mutually intelligible. Tales and proverbs of the vandau of portuguese south africa is an article from the journal of american folklore, volume 35. The paper examines the plights of widows and the challenge of widowhood in nigeria.
This is discussed within the framework of widowhood in the old testament with particular reference to the case of the widow of one of the sons of the prophets in 2 kings 4. There is a lot one can learn just by observing the puberty rites of the local communities. In many traditional communities of developing countries especially in africa, widowhood represents a social death for women. May 25, 2018 the ghana news agency gna was established on march 5, 1957, i. This article sought to explore the nature and extent of widowhood rituals and the community perspective of widowhood rites in balungu. On the same day, she perform the semipurification rites by taking her bath around 4. Widowhood and visual culture in early modern europe 1st. She said their brother never gave her the papers and that they should feel free to search the house. He has lectured at the university of liverpool and hope university, and has worked as an archaeologist, specializing in industrial archaeology in england.
The rite of mourning the demise of a husband in nigeria has for a very long time been taken to the extreme by the relatives of the dearly departed either because they have plans of. About 40 selected youth from three districts in the upper east region have been given community journalism training by media practitioners to identify and report on dehumanising widowhood rites. The following are a few african widowhood rites and practices in a few african contexts. These are nations located in the eastern region of modern day ghana. These include violations of their property rights, coercive subjection to the observance of customarily genderedthe observance of customarily genderedconstructed ritesritesofofpassage widowhood rites passage widowhood rites kunadiekunadie. Jumia travel, the leading online travel agency, shares 4 unique african rites of passage. Power to detain a person for further examination 8.
Recent examples on the web alzheimers strikes many more women than men, and the study authors suggest widowhood may explain some of that discrepancy between the sexes. Manuscript found in accra free pdf, djvu, doc, fb3. African societies are known for marking the different transitions of a persons life cycle with different ritual or rites of passage. Through these festivals, the values and beliefs of the people are demonstrated, they give meaning to the social, political and religious life of the people celebrating them they are vital mainsprings in the traditional education and the remit of the peoples culture. Most ghanaians speak two or more african languages. Ghanaian youth challenged to stand against widowhood rites. However, the changes in ghanaian akan funerals over the past 4 decades. Then from this time onwards the widow or widower is free to do any work or. The womens health initiative sara wilcox university of south carolina kelly r. Notable broadcasting careers living in pittsburgh real estate podcast propagandabonanza passiomed radio. The effects of widowhood on physical and mental health.
Thriving ghanaian immigrant communities have brought west african funeral rites to the united states, too. Evenson university of north carolina aaron aragaki fred hutchinson cancer research center sylvia wassertheilsmoller albert einstein college of medicine charles p. The widowhood rites and practices are found in many parts of nigeria, including anambra, imo, abia, enugu and ebonyi. The types of cultural rites and ordeals which akan women used to go through at the death of their. Learnrite every learner has the right to learn right. The effects of widowhood on physical and mental health, health behaviors, and health outcomes. The department of international environment and development studies, noragric, is the international gateway for the norwegian university of life sciences umb. The impact of widowhood rite on the ghanaian woman in the new millennium. The question is if ghana, as a new petroleum exporting country, can withstand the pressures that a sudden. Widowhood practices of the gbi northern ewe of ghana. The issue of widowhood rites, which has been described as one of the most dehumanizing, uncivilized and negative cultural practices in the world, due to its associated violation of the rights of women, is still rife in ghana. Widowhood definition of widowhood by merriamwebster.
Widowhood practices of the gbi northern ewe of ghana a. As the only organization developed by and for widows in northern ghana, wom is the most effective organization to address the issues of empowerment and capacity building of widows in northern ghana. This is, of course, just a single snapshot in time. Issues of discrimination in widowhood in cameroon that require addressing in the context of the cedaw margaret owen, wpd widows for peace through democracy director laura castellan, wpd research assistant, intern with the contribution of. Pdf facts from fiction, myths from reality, widowhood rites in an. Hausa is a second language for more ghanaians, but can be used to communicate with people from other groups. The use of these fantasy coffins is explained by the religious beliefs of the ga people regarding their afterlife. Okoye 1995 summated that a widow is made to feel miserable. African traditions thus far with regards to the ebook we have now ashanti to zulu. The present study was conducted to find out the effect of widowhood rites on the psychosocial wellbeing of widows in nadowli district of the upper west region ghana. African traditions pdf suggestions people are yet to nevertheless eventually left the writeup on the sport, or otherwise not make out the print nevertheless. Encounters between christianity and african traditional religions in fante funeral practices a critical discussion of the funeral practices of the fantes in ghana by. About % of men and 40% of women aged 65 and older, and 57% of women aged 75 and older, are widows.
The origins and brief history of the ewe people narrated by dr. Widowhood, remarriage and migration during the hivaids epidemic in uganda james p. Wicked widowhood practices that must be abolished in nigeria. Widowhood practices in subsaharan africa ssa have been detrimental to womens general wellbeing and as such considered a serious social problem. Whether discussing the asante kingdom and the gold coasts importance to european commerce and transatlantic slaving, ghana s brief period under british colonial rule, or the emergence of its modern democracy, the volumes eighty. We have in this category latest ghana gospel music in 2016 and gospel music that are out previous years. View more articles from the journal of american folklore. As in ghana itself, americanghanaian funeral services begin with an announcement of the death to relatives and friends. The church in ghana needs to be local in its songs, artistry, architecture, language and in its way of life. A presentation on the ceremony in ghana for turning girls to womanhood. On the seventh day, a wake keeping ceremony is held and the widow is forbidden by custom to sleep because, the spirit of the dead man will come around and kill her if she is found sleeping.
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