Long live the dead!

Funerals are at the heart of Ghanaian culture and social life. Among the Frafra people in northern Ghana, funerals are an opportunity to celebrate life! Troubadour Stevo Atambire is a musician who travels from funeral to funeral comforting the relatives and friends of the deceased person. With his improvised songs, using a traditional Kologo guitar, Stevo sings about the life of the deceased and assists family members in parting from their loved one.

Funerals typically take place during the dry season as the rainy season is reserved for farming only. If someone dies in the rainy season, the deceased is buried in secret and the family has to wait until the next dry season to organize the public burial. A funeral rite is often a grand ceremony. The size of the funeral reveals the appreciation the community has towards the deceased person. It can last for days or even weeks on end where a variety of artists such as war dancers, percussion bands and local artists perform. A funeral is announced as a 'Home Call' or 'Call To Glory' actualizing the most glorious journey in one's life: A journey to the world of the ancestors.