I guess I have always know that it is not untill you are confronted with your doxa that you will recognise it - I mean that is the whole issue of it being a doxa...
I have always know that I am more traditional than progressive, I like history and the idea of culture. That doesn't mean that I believe that culture is static and cannot develop, it just means that I treasure it, and I believe in the values related to my culture.This also means that I hve made this an active decision - I ahve reflected on my culture and - I thought - on my doxa.
IHowever today I had a confrontation with something that I had not considered. In Ghana you walk on graves - at least we did today.
Death a stranger to me.
I have rarely been confronted with death in my life - for which I am very grateful. However recently a colleague and friend lost a parent. I have followed the process of the preparation for the funeral from the sidelines - asked a lot of question in my quest to understand it.
Funerals are common in Ghana - I don't think a saturday in my time here has passed without I have come accross one. I have once before attended a funeral in Ghana - but this was a Liberian funeral and broke with procedures as Ora (who died) was not buried but transpported back to Liberia.
Today was the culmination of my colleagues preparation - the funeral took placce. As it seems to be custom in this country everyone who had any sort of relation to the berieved were invited. The obiturary was a A3 poster with all information you would want; who, where, when etc.
I went with colleagues from work.
The ceremoney took place in a catholic Church so in many ways that was familiar - being a protestant and all - then the first thing that is different presented itself. Churches and cemetaries in Ghana are not linked. They seem to be completly seperate entities, so we drove accross town from the church to the burial grounds.
Here we waited in line for a bit - there was a group of people leaving the site as we arrived. When we eneterd we could only walk up to around 50 m before the gravesite on road. For the last part of the journey we climbed the graves.
It should be mentioned that graves in Ghana are quite different from those in DK. Here they are build in rocks and cement and they are mostly above ground.
this means that the graveyeard resembles a construction site a little. you will see cement bags, shovels and hacks lying next to graves being constructed or closed off. unfortunately cleaning up and maintenance is not of highest priority, so empty bags are lying spread here and there between the graves.
My doxa confronted.
When thinking back on visitin graves in Denmark, I realise I have always been causious not to setep outside the paths - I was horrified of the thought of stepping on the face of a dead personn.
Today I had to overcome. The cemetary in Osu, is so crowded that you have some graves with less thatn 10 com in between others there is maybe 50 cm. so to get to the middel where the space might be, you will at points have to step up on the graves. so I did. I have stepped on a grave - actually several.
This was a horrifying experience. nothing less. I am imagining it is something like a committed vegan all of the sudden realizing she is chewing meat. My heart started pounding, and I have never before said so many "I am sorry's" in such a short time.
I thought this would then be over, I had overcome and reached the place of the grave - at this time happily forgetting that I had to go back again... At the grave however, since we were many people and the graves were many and as mentioned very close. People were standing on the graves, walking on them, jumpng between them - ON THEM. I dcided that I am not Kant - ther eis no imperiative, and that we all do different things and think differently of it. I was happy with this, just untill I saw a woman standing on a grave up against the headstone, to be able to see..
At this time one of the workers sitting on a headstone a little away answers his phone and speaks VERY LOUDLY for quite some time, this while the 'ceremon' was going on and the casket was being lowered. I have no words - after this two other poeple (participants in the funeral) answered their phones and had conversations... Still no words - only thoughts of apology.
Don't step on me when I am dead.
My learning of the day? I have a very specific perception of what is right and wrong behaviour in regards to a funeral and the treatment of graves...
So when I some day in the future am confronted with death again - potentially my own. Burn me! Pease let no one step on my head - even if I am dead.
I have always know that I am more traditional than progressive, I like history and the idea of culture. That doesn't mean that I believe that culture is static and cannot develop, it just means that I treasure it, and I believe in the values related to my culture.This also means that I hve made this an active decision - I ahve reflected on my culture and - I thought - on my doxa.
IHowever today I had a confrontation with something that I had not considered. In Ghana you walk on graves - at least we did today.
Death a stranger to me.
I have rarely been confronted with death in my life - for which I am very grateful. However recently a colleague and friend lost a parent. I have followed the process of the preparation for the funeral from the sidelines - asked a lot of question in my quest to understand it.
Funerals are common in Ghana - I don't think a saturday in my time here has passed without I have come accross one. I have once before attended a funeral in Ghana - but this was a Liberian funeral and broke with procedures as Ora (who died) was not buried but transpported back to Liberia.
Today was the culmination of my colleagues preparation - the funeral took placce. As it seems to be custom in this country everyone who had any sort of relation to the berieved were invited. The obiturary was a A3 poster with all information you would want; who, where, when etc.
I went with colleagues from work.
The ceremoney took place in a catholic Church so in many ways that was familiar - being a protestant and all - then the first thing that is different presented itself. Churches and cemetaries in Ghana are not linked. They seem to be completly seperate entities, so we drove accross town from the church to the burial grounds.
Here we waited in line for a bit - there was a group of people leaving the site as we arrived. When we eneterd we could only walk up to around 50 m before the gravesite on road. For the last part of the journey we climbed the graves.
It should be mentioned that graves in Ghana are quite different from those in DK. Here they are build in rocks and cement and they are mostly above ground.
this means that the graveyeard resembles a construction site a little. you will see cement bags, shovels and hacks lying next to graves being constructed or closed off. unfortunately cleaning up and maintenance is not of highest priority, so empty bags are lying spread here and there between the graves.
My doxa confronted.
When thinking back on visitin graves in Denmark, I realise I have always been causious not to setep outside the paths - I was horrified of the thought of stepping on the face of a dead personn.
Today I had to overcome. The cemetary in Osu, is so crowded that you have some graves with less thatn 10 com in between others there is maybe 50 cm. so to get to the middel where the space might be, you will at points have to step up on the graves. so I did. I have stepped on a grave - actually several.
This was a horrifying experience. nothing less. I am imagining it is something like a committed vegan all of the sudden realizing she is chewing meat. My heart started pounding, and I have never before said so many "I am sorry's" in such a short time.
I thought this would then be over, I had overcome and reached the place of the grave - at this time happily forgetting that I had to go back again... At the grave however, since we were many people and the graves were many and as mentioned very close. People were standing on the graves, walking on them, jumpng between them - ON THEM. I dcided that I am not Kant - ther eis no imperiative, and that we all do different things and think differently of it. I was happy with this, just untill I saw a woman standing on a grave up against the headstone, to be able to see..
At this time one of the workers sitting on a headstone a little away answers his phone and speaks VERY LOUDLY for quite some time, this while the 'ceremon' was going on and the casket was being lowered. I have no words - after this two other poeple (participants in the funeral) answered their phones and had conversations... Still no words - only thoughts of apology.
Don't step on me when I am dead.
My learning of the day? I have a very specific perception of what is right and wrong behaviour in regards to a funeral and the treatment of graves...
So when I some day in the future am confronted with death again - potentially my own. Burn me! Pease let no one step on my head - even if I am dead.
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