Jumia travel, the leading online travel agency, shares 4 unique african rites of passage. Most ghanaians speak two or more african languages. The widow smears herself and her clothing with black charcoal and remains so for three months. We further hypothesized that these effects, particularly for mental health and health behav. Ghana is located on the south coast of west african encompassing.
Fighting widowhood practices that enable violence against. This paper examines policy response to widowhood rites among the awori of ogun state, south west, nigeria. Ghanaian youth challenged to stand against widowhood rites. Ghanaian akan womens experiences of widowhood and property. Welcome to the official website of the widows and orphans movement. The ga and dangbe people are grouped respectively as part of the gadangme ethnolinguistic group. Ghanaian widows are routinely accused by the community of having caused the death of their husband, or even of literally.
Sacrifice in african tradmon and in bmucal perspeci1ve1 cornelius olowola comparing. Widowhood in african society and its effects on womens health. Section six is the data presentation which includes data analysis and discussion of findings and the last section concludes the study. 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, confrontation by inconfrontation by inlaws and economic issues. A case study of nkusukumekumfienyan area of the central region. Pdf effects of widowhood rites on the psychosocial well. Widows around the world share two common experiences. Widowhood rites performed by the akan people, particularly for. Theological reflections on sex as a cleansing ritual for. The state of widowhood is worsened by situations of poverty, armed conflict and lack of access to services and resources. Traditionally, after the death of the man who is usually the bread winner, widows may be forced to submit to a traditional custom called wife inheritance. The observance of widowhood rites has been with the akans for a very. Initiation rites have however, persisted secretly and in a shortened form.
The second stage of mourning begins at the end of the seventh day. May 25, 2018 20180525 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. Most of these rites are meant to cleanse the widow of perceived defilement related to the death of her husband and to neutralise andor counter the effects of ritual danger embedded in widowhood. These are nations located in the eastern region of modern day ghana. The extreme restrictions on widows mobility and lifestyles breaches all articles of the convention.
Pdf outmoded cultural practices and its effects on victims. It also sought to find out why widowhood rites persist in spite of ghana. Jun, 20 the practice of widowhood rites has widespread effects and deeply ingrained social, psychological, economic and health implications for womanhood in nigeria. Ethnic ga family names surnames such as tagoe, dodoo, lartey, nortey, aryee, poku, lamptey, tetteh, ankrah, tetteyfio. Widowhood rituals and widow inheritance in the balikumbat. The case of widowhood rituals amongst the people of balungu community, ghana. Augustine abbey, also known as idikoko, is a ghanaian actor and movie maker known for comedy. This article has been cited by other articles in pmc. Some of these rites include cruel and degrading treatment. Refworld contains a vast collection of reports relating to situations in countries of origin, policy documents and positions, and documents relating to international and national legal frameworks. These widows find themselves in 75 different ethnic groups, most of which discriminate against widows.
The death of a partner and its consequences are met with serious sentiments especially to the females. Gone are those days when a widow cannot contest for an equal right in the inheritance of her husbands property. Ghana, the succession amended act, uganda, the administrator generals act, cap 140, uganda, to mention a few. The harmful nature of these widowhood practices on the woman as an individual with rights is the focus of this. Okofle african widowhood practtces 81 soon after the mterment of the iate husbands body, the widow w111 be. Recent examples on the web anambra has two laws criminalizing widowhood rites, says ndidi mezue, the states commissioner for women and children affairs, but its enforcement has been slow. Becoming a widow exposes women to acute forms of discrimination in regions of togo where traditional widowhood practices persist. Widowhood can be defined as the status of an individual who was legally married to someone who subsequently died. The impact of widowhood rite on the ghanaian woman in the new. We discuss implications for international social work, especially. Pdf outmoded cultural practices and its effects on. Outmoded cultural practices and its effects on victims. Effects of widowhood rites on the psychosocial wellbeing of women in nadowli district upperwest regionghana article pdf available january 2014 with 5,082 reads how we measure reads. As soon as the woman becomes a half widow, her status in the family is reduced to a maid and in most cases, she.
Therefore, the scope of the study as can be glean from the objectives will be to. Abdallah and ogbeide, 2002 have concluded that a higher rate of mental illness exists among the widowed than their married counterparts. Ghanaians introduction, location, language, folklore. On the average, annual rice import is some 400,000 tons. Widowhood practices of the gbi northern ewe of ghana african. For many, the loss of a husband is only the first trauma in a longterm ordeal. The total rice consumption in 2005 amounted to about 500,000 tons jica, 2007, which is equivalent to per capita consumption of 22kg per annum. This should be done in synergy with traditional chiefs. The widow is not expected to receive condolence visits from sympathisers during the period of mourning, she is to be remarried by a relative of the late husband, she is to sit on the floor or be naked during any period of the husbands burial rite, weep and wail loudly at intervals, she must remain in confinement after the death of the husband. Going through the rites taught me many things which i learned from the women who took care of me through the widowhood rites. The ghana news agency gna was established on march 5, 1957, i. Hausa is a second language for more ghanaians, but can be used to communicate with people from other groups. Sacrifice in african tradmon and in bmucal perspeci1ve. Effects of widowhood rites on the psychosocial wellbeing of women in nadowli district upperwest region ghana article pdf available january 2014 with 5,082 reads how we measure reads.
The ugandan experience submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the llm degree in human. The information has been carefully selected and compiled from unhcrs global network of field. Wicked widowhood practices that must be abolished in nigeria. Widowhood and nigerian womanhood another context of. The word akyum is used to describe a group of three states. Also, a widow 1s made to shave in order to look unattractive, so that men would not eye her for love in that pitiful condition the mourning mood. Ghana, so as to ascertain whether these rites and practices are only targeted at. Of course, this brief description is not exhaustive. The government should be asked to clarify what its efforts are, in. Effects of widowhood rites on the psychosocial wellbeing of. The impact of african traditional religious beliefs and cultural values on christian muslim relations in ghana from 1920 through the present. These rites of passages are quite unique and interesting to know, and they are a crucial aspect of the culture of africans.
Submitted by francis acquah to the university of exeter as a thesis for the degree of doctor of philosophy in theology in december 2011. The issue of widowhood rites, which has been described as one of the most dehumanising, uncivilised and negative cultural practices in the world, due to its associated violation of the rights of women, is still rife in some parts of the three northern regions of ghana. Other african widowhood rites are interspersed throughout this article. Outside the obvious intrinsic problems of associated with poor widowhood practices, the instrumental effects of such sociocultural cum economic bias greatly inhibit the nation. Ghanaian akan womens experiences of widowhood and property rights. A typical nigerian widow is by tradition expected to undergo these serious mourning rites and widowhood practices which is an enduring period of deep rooted agony, seclusion and exclusion, anxiety, deprivation, restitution, trauma, insecurity and pain, all these have lots of social and health implication to the widow amasiatu, 2009. Eighty six percent 86% of these are women, which means there are over 700,000 widows statsghana. Among the shona, death has always been followed by a sequence of rituals that differ from group to group but, by and large, serve the same purpose of ensuring a proper transition of the. When the husband was the principal breadwinner, his widow is now deprived of his income and the nucleus of the family is destroyed fasoranti et al. The gadangmes are one ethnic group that lives primarily in the greater accra of ghana. The plight of widowhood in africa the times group malawi. May 25, 2018 news ghana is ghana s leading online news portal for business in west africa and around the world. It also sought to find out why widowhood rites persist in spite of ghana being a signatory to many human rights instruments.
We are a nonprofit organisation focused on helping alleviate the plight of widows and orphans in the northern region of ghana. This allows the families of the deceased to choose a brother or relative of the late husband to marry the widow. The woman is believed not to have any right to her husbands properties at his passing. Nigerian widow, in the course of fulfilling funeral rites, is subjected to a greater agony than the grief of the loss of her husband. A further reason for shaving the hair is the beiief that it is a symbol of breaking off all links between the widow and the deceased husband. The paper argues that widows form a significant proportion of the awori population, yet, much is not known about their plight nor policy response to the practice of widowhood rites and its associated challenges among the study group. African traditional widowhood rites and their benefits and. Agonies of widows hit by harsh nigerian traditions. 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. There are 823,562 widowed persons in ghana out of a population of about 24,000,000. The impact of widowhood rite on the ghanaian woman in the. To analyse the effects of widowhood rites on the wellbeing of widows and widowers.
These practices can be so degrading and humiliating for widows that they contribute to making them even more physically, emotionally and economically vulnerable. Policy response to widowhood rites among the awori of ogun. Hausa is a second language for more ghanaians, but can. Refworld is the leading source of information necessary for taking quality decisions on refugee status. For example, in zambia a 79yearold widow went to court because she refused to submit to this practice hambuba 2006. Effects of widowhood rites on the psychosocial wellbeing of women in nadowli district upperwest regionghana. Rather, those practices have been regarded as part of the customs and traditions of the people. A widow from a rural area described a positive experience. Pdf effects of widowhood rites on the psychosocial wellbeing. He was also capped for ghana, and was a squad member in the 1992 african cup of nations and the 1997 korea cup. Assistant professor lucky eboh and thomas boye from the university of makerere in ghana in an article titled widowhood in african society and its effects on womens health tackled at length the oppressive and humiliating practices women face as a result of the death of their husbands. African societies are known for marking the different transitions of a persons life cycle with different ritual or rites of passage.
He played for hearts of oak in ghana, except for the 199495 season at sportul studen. Hausa, a nigerian language introduced into ghana nearly 200 years ago, has become a lingua franca common language throughout the country. Wicked widowhood practices that must be abolished in. Female initiation rites in zambia were banned by both roman catholic and protestant missionaries who considered the rites pagan and immoral hinfelaar 1994. On the same day, she perform the semipurification rites by taking her bath around 4. Then his family shaved her head and made her strip beside his grave, 27 mar. In many instances, she is a total loser as she does not inherit anything directly or indirectly. Yet, there has been little critical analysis of such inequalities, especially on widow abuse and violations of their property rights. Agonies of widows hit by harsh nigerian traditions vanguard. African rites of passage by andrew potawsky on prezi. The body of my husband was yet to be put in the mortuary when the brother took me to another room and asked about the documents of the house, insisting that i had to leave.
Widowhood is a transition period which the widow enters via rituals of separation and comes out via rites of reintegration. The department of international environment and development. Widowhood definition is the fact or state of being a widow. The effects of widowhood on physical and mental health. Policy response to widowhood rites among the awori of. Widowhood definition of widowhood by merriamwebster. News ghana is ghanas leading online news portal for business in west africa and around the world. African traditional widowhood rites and their benefits andor. We further hypothesized that these effects, particularly for. Within this period, the woman is expected to cry at the top of her lungs so people will know she is in mourning. The impact of african traditional religious beliefs and. Widowhood rites still rife in northern regions modern ghana.
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