Effects of widowhood rites on the psychosocial wellbeing. The ghana news agency gna was established on march 5, 1957, i. African traditional widowhood rites and their benefits and. 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. There are several limitations in this body of literature to note.
Wicked widowhood practices that must be abolished in. The plight of widowhood in africa the times group malawi. 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. Ghanaian akan womens experiences of widowhood and property rights violations.
This article discusses the plight and suffering of widows in terms of their social, economic, psychological and human rights violations in three west african societies. Traditional widowhood rites are a widespread phenomenon in cameroon. She called on ghana and africa to support widows and widowers who suffer from economic hardships, the difficulties of single parenthood and loneliness. Widowhood rituals were ways to uphold justice and vengeance of the death of a spouse. Ethnic ga family names surnames such as lartey, nortey, aryee, poku, lamptey, tetteh, ankrah, tetteyfio, laryea. These are nations located in the eastern region of modern day ghana.
Widowhood rites performed by the akan people, particularly for chiefs and subchiefs. African traditional widowhood rites and their benefits andor. In many traditional communities of developing countries especially in africa, widowhood represents a social death for women. Effects of widowhood rites on the psychosocial wellbeing of women in nadowli district upperwest regionghana. This is one of the most archaic and barbaric cultural practices still performed in certain places around the world. The aim of the study is to identify the churches role in demystifying widowhood and equipping widows to cope effectively with challenges of widowhood.
The evidence relating widowhood to poor health status and negative health behaviors is inconsistent. Ghanaian akan womens experiences of widowhood and property. 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. The gadangmes are one ethnic group that lives primarily in the greater accra of ghana. The present study was conducted to find out the effect of widowhood rites on the psychosocial well being of widows in nadowli district of the upper west region ghana.
Ghanaian widows are routinely accused by the community of having caused the death of their husband, or even of literally. The ugandan experience submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the llm degree in human. The practice of widowhood rites according to some ghanaian traditions is linked to the. The department of international environment and development. Some of these rites include cruel and degrading treatment. Although sources did not specify whether the following widowhood rites apply to the akan people, this additional information regarding widowhood rites in ghana is of interest. Funerals are a major tradition among the fantes in ghana, and it has been studied by both ethnographers and theologians. Widowhood rituals and widow inheritance in the balikumbat. 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. Wicked widowhood practices that must be abolished in nigeria.
These widows find themselves in 75 different ethnic groups, most of which discriminate against widows. May 25, 2018 the ghana news agency gna was established on march 5, 1957, i. After the child naming ceremony, puberty rites are the next set of rituals of social status transformation which children undergo in ghanaian culture. Widowhood rituals and widow inheritance in the balikumbat, cameroon international journal of history and cultural studies ijhcs page 57 made a woman the property of the husband and had the prerogative to be inherited by her deceased husbands king rates. Ghana is a constitutional democracy with a strong presidency and a unicameral 275seat parliament.
Widowhood rituals rites practices the widowhood rituals are immoral traditional practices, which include mourning rituals and food taboos that are enforced on widows, and which inevitably expose them to economic hardship, confinement and ill treatment in anugwom study as cited in afolaya 2011. Jul 12, 2006 although sources did not specify whether the following widowhood rites apply to the akan people, this additional information regarding widowhood rites in ghana is of interest. 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 grieving widow or for other reasons best known to themselves. He was also capped for ghana, and was a squad member in the 1992 african cup of nations and the 1997 korea cup. The observance of widowhood rites has been with the akans for a very long time. In igbo society, women either married, unmarried or widowed are being tossed up and down.
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. Across different cultures and traditions in ssa, widows are subject to a wide range of plights and reprehensible oppression following the death of a spouse. 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. T1 ghanaian akan womens experiences of widowhood and property rights violations.
The effects of widowhood on physical and mental health. The impact of widowhood rite on the ghanaian woman in the new. The impact of widowhood rite on the ghanaian woman in the. The harmful nature of these widowhood practices on the woman as an individual with rights is the focus of this paper. Widowhood practices of the gbi practices in the igbo societies of nigeria, the practice of widowhood rites in the gbiduk.
It also sought to find out why widowhood rites persist in spite of ghana being a. Augustine abbey, also known as idikoko, is a ghanaian actor and movie maker known for comedy. The study was conducted in the cape coast metropolis in the central region of ghana. The most prevalent widowhood rites included a oneyear period of mourning, tying ropes and padlocks around the widows waist or neck, forced sitting by the deceased spouse until burial, solitary confinement, forced starvation, shaving the widows hair, and smearing clay on the widows body. 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. This paper, therefore, investigated widowhood practices among the gbiewes of northern volta region in. In africa, widows go through a lot of hardship that stems from the society, the husbands family and from tradition.
The institution of widowhood was well organized and inherent. Indepth interviews conducted in twi with 20 widows, five from each site, focused on womens experiences of widowhood. Women who undergo such rites are subjected to mental, physical, and emotional torture, accused of killing their husbands, and most of the times stripped naked and humiliated at the market square. Widowhood in african society and its effects on womens health. Each culture determines the rationality of practices relating to widowhood and mourning rites the igbo of southeastern nigeria have differing practices relating to widowhood and widow inheritance. Widowhood practices and impacts on women in subsaharan. Ghana needs to help its widows and widowers grow in self confidence and lead normal lives. He played for hearts of oak in ghana, except for the 199495 season at sportul studen. Introduction this is a study about the encounters between christianity and the african traditional religions atr in fante funeral practices. The widows and orphans ministry wom was founded in 1993 by betty ayagiba or ayageba public agenda 19 june 2006. Pdf effects of widowhood rites on the psychosocial well.
Ghanaian youth challenged to stand against widowhood rites. Pdf ghanaian akan womens experiences of widowhood and. A typical example of this is in the northern part of ghana where tribal marks have often resulted in tribalism. The following are a few african widowhood rites and practices in a few african contexts. Although this situ ation exists in almost all parts, it is particularly prevalen t in the rural communities. To achieve these aims, i relied largely from the materials on isiokpoikwerre widowhood rites. To be supplied and extends from the atlantic coast inland up to about latitude 7. Section six is the data presentation which includes data analysis and discussion of findings and the last section concludes the study. During bereavement periods, 10 of the 20 participants 3 moslems and 7 christians observed the and 7 christians observed the akanakan cultural ritescultural ritesofofpassage widow passage widow. First, widowed status is often combined with divorced and separated status, making it difficult to determine the independent effects of widowhood. Pdf effects of widowhood rites on the psychosocial wellbeing. The word akyum is used to describe a group of three states. 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.
There are 823,562 widowed persons in ghana out of a population of about 24,000,000. Presidential and parliamentary elections conducted in 2016. The ewe speaking people of west africa inhabit the areas between the river volta in modern ghana and the river mono on the western borders of the ancient kingdom of benin dahomey see map 1. Widowhood practices of the gbi northern ewe of ghana african. Ghanaian akan womens experiences of widowhood and property rights. 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. Ancestorhood was to be achieved only if all the norms associated to widowhood were rigidly respected ohale 2009. Widowhood rites still rife in northern regions modern ghana. Pdf outmoded cultural practices and its effects on victims.
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. Ghana, the succession amended act, uganda, the administrator generals act, cap 140, uganda, to mention a few. Widowhood can be defined as the status of an individual who was legally married to someone who subsequently died. They vary greatly according to religions, ethnicities and tribe affiliation, but as a common feature they include degrading, humiliating, discriminating and inhumane practices. Some african widowhood rites in the phokwane area this section describes some of the widowhood rites in the phokwane area of limpopo. It is not merely that they have lost their husbands, the main breadwinner and supporter of their children, but widowhood robs. Pdf outmoded cultural practices and its effects on.
The ekiti ethnic group is one of the yorubaspeaking tribes. The widowhood rites and practices are found in many parts of nigeria, including anambra, imo, abia, enugu and ebonyi states. Witchcraft, widowhood rites and female genital mutilation fgm have been identified as top three. T he study generally examined three aspects of the well being of the widows viz psychological, economic and social of widows mainly as a result of the ordeal they go through. Thirteen women described property rights violations occurring when they were vulnerable due to bereavement andor widowhood rites, and resulting in longterm economic challenges for them and their children. Widowhood practices cross borders, please dont think it only happens in nigeria or just africa for the matter. A major problem for both sexes is economic hardship. It also sought to find out why widowhood rites persist in spite of ghana being a signatory to many human rights instruments. Widowhood practices in subsaharan africa ssa have been detrimental to womens general wellbeing and as such considered a serious social problem. Ghana, the succession amended act, uganda, the administrator generals act, cap 140, uganda, to. Widowhood presents a myriad of economic, social and psychological problems, particularly in the first year or so after the death of the spouse. The description is based on research conducted by pauw, published in 1990, and. The study generally examined three aspects of the wellbeing.
Widows are found in every community but in africa, the experience of the widow is such that women dread to be widows. The ga and dangbe people are grouped respectively as part of the gadangme ethnolinguistic group. Widowhood practices of the gbi northern ewe of ghana a. Nigerian widow, in the course of fulfilling funeral rites, is subjected to a greater agony than the grief of the loss of her husband. These practices are dehumanizing, degrading, barbaric obnoxious, anachronistic and grossly immoral. Eighty six percent 86% of these are women, which means there are over 700,000 widows statsghana. The widowhood ritual safeguarded and guaranteed the entrance and acceptance of the deceased spouse into the world of the ancestors.
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