Widowhood Rites in the Akuapem Traditional Society

Abstract

Widowhood cultural practices in Africa in general and Ghana in particular has been subjected to criticisms the world over to the extent of describing it as dehumanizing, torturous, cruel and outmoded, and for that matter calling for its abolishing. This study aimed at finding out the nature and the effects of widowhood rites as practised among selected Akan communities in the Akuapem-South municipality on the widows who go through those rites. The sub-themes that guided the study were to find out the origins of widowhood rites, discover some aspects of widowhood which apparently were described as dehumanizing, cruel and humiliating, find out what the widows felt about the experiences they went through and explain why widows who apparently went through harsh and severe form of the rites failed to report their ordeal, in spite of legislation prohibiting such rites. Case study research design was used in the study under qualitative research and methods to come out with the research findings. Thirty (30) participants were selected using snowballing sampling method under purposive sampling. The respondents included fifteen (15) widow, five (5) queens, five (5) women who had once supervised a widow to go through the rites and five (5) heads of family. Beside the widows, the other participants were selected on the grounds that they were the custodians of culture of the various communities selected for the study. The data collection instrument used was conversational interview. The study revealed that widowhood rites had no mythical origins, but it is part of the culture of the people based on their traditional religious beliefs. Again, the study revealed that no aspect of the rites could be described as dehumanizing, cruel or humiliating as the widows did not complain of what they went through and for that matter there is no need to report any ordeal to any authority. In conclusion, the study revealed that widowhood rites among the people of Akuapem-South municipality is really a good emotional and psychological support instrument for widows to cope with their grief on the loss of the husband. It is recommended that the various reasons for going through the widowhood rites must be explain to them before or after every stage of a rite.