There's nothing so funny about death. Except the way Ghanaians announce it...in english. Yesterday I was walking around town and I saw one, that made me burst out laughing. See
Ghanaians have somehow managed to come up with these very flowery and euphemistic language to announce the passing of our loved ones. And like invitation cards for weddings, we all do it the same way. It's become the proper way to do it. The traditional way...I would bet my last pesewa that if you were to die today, your poster which will go on trees, and concrete walls would have one of the following headings:
1. Home calling
2. Call to glory
3. Celebration of life
4. Gone, but not forgotten
5. A mighty tree has fallen
6. Ascension to glory
7. What a shock!
8. In loving memory
9. Promotion to glory
10. Departed
Of course it would also announce among other things that Ebusuapanyin so and so regrets to tell the world that the Asona family has lost Mr /Miss/Dr so and so alias money yɛ swine who had 13 grandchildren, all in the US or UK, and who has so and so degrees. But the headline is what kills me. And you won't get to choose. But let me just say to my family. If you're listening, I beg. Don't use "What a shock!" or "A mighty tree has fallen" for me when I die. Please :)
Can you think of any other popular headlines announcing funerals?
Also, I just discovered, in doing the research for this post, that there's a Ghana funerals website. It's called funeralsinghana
Enjoy....
What a shock!
The same as in Nigeria.
ReplyDeleteMissing in action..honest! I was there oh...Concerned my great grandpa. Dunno who wrote the obituary but that made my day.
ReplyDeleteHahhaahahahahahha!!!!!
ReplyDeletehahaha!! this is funny. How about our beloved has joined the ancestors?
ReplyDeleteLol. I have also seen, and been shocked by, "What a Shock!"
ReplyDeleteMIA(missing in action)?????our beloved has joined the ancestors? hahahahaha fu real? no way.
ReplyDeleteEsi, the same comment u made about "what a shock" was the same thing i said before i even saw wot u had written...lolololol
I've seen one titled "What a Lost". Still haven't gotten over it.
ReplyDeleteGlad I stumbled on this topic... I'm more than a year late, but what the heck :)... I'm in KNUST, which is in Kumasi, GH's funeral capital where you'll find the most ridiculous things concerning funerals - like this shop that says "Funeral Cloth for Hire" on the front!
ReplyDeleteOK so I'm walking past Katanga Hall one day and see a car that has "A Shock Forever!" on a poster on the back... I draw closer to find out whose death could cause such a shock (that echoes into eternity, as implied by the headline) to find out that it was a 90-year-old man. -_________-