By:  Lawrence Markwei


The Ga State on Saturday held a grand funeral for its departed chiefs and royals.

The last time such funeral rites were held was about 30 years ago during the reign of Nii Amugi II.

It is believed the funerals provided the platform for the Ga state to be cleansed of evil which had lived with them for the past 30 years.

The highlight of the funeral was in the riding I ‘ahimaka” (a special palanquin) by the Ga Mantse, Nii Tackie Tawiah, while other chiefs rode in their own palanquins behind him to loud applause by the gathering.

The celebration of the grand funeral according to Ga custom and tradition paves the way for Ga chiefs to ride in palanquins during festive occasions.

Earlier in the day, effigies of some of the chiefs of the Ga state were displayed in the Royal Reception Hall at the Ga Mantse’s palace.

Two gunshots heralded the official commencement of the funeral which saw the various divisions within the Ga State parading traditional foods and drinks to pay homage to the Ga Mantse.

This was followed by sprinkling of “kpoikpoi” which signified the paying of homage to the ancestral spirits.

In a short message to end the activities to end for the day, Nii Tackie Tawiah said the observance of the funeral rites was in recognition of the respect the Ga traditional councils accord their predecessors.

The Ga Mantse asked the Gas to start the New Year with the rebirth of a vision to unite the Ga state for development.

They should remain united and steadfast despite the present challenges, stressing that “bickering does not augur well for development”.

In an interview, with the Times, the wife of the late Ga Mantse Nii Amugi II, Naa Dodua Wellington, who was present, urged all factions in the Ga chieftaincy dispute to smoke the peace pipe.

The funeral she said would have been more grand if everyone had lent their support.

In an interview with the spokesman for the Ga Mantse, Nii Boi Abbey called for a round-table conference to thrash out issues related to the installation of the Ga Mantse, saying “in every situation where people ascend to power, there is bound to be differences but that should not mean that Gas need to wash their dirty linen in public”.

Nii Boi Abbey said, “though there are differences, we need to group together under an umbrella and thrash things out since Gas have the potential to rebuild their crumbling state”.

Meanwhile, investigation by the Times revealed that over the weekend, many people who had made arrangements to bury their dead went ahead to do so.

At the Awudome Cemetery, a source said about 30 people were put to rest on Saturday.

At Osu Cemetary, the story was no different as about 10 people were buried.

The Ga Traditional Council had explained that those who had made prior arrangements to bury their dead relations before the announcements of the royal funerals could go ahead if they so wished.

This followed misgivings raised by bereaved families against the council’s decision to ban burials on Saturday for the royal funerals to be held



Source :
             Ghanaian Times                        page:  3                       Monday, April, 2009