African Beliefs and Traditions

Most African people regard death with great reverence and awe. Researchers and practitioners in death care have observed that in the study of crosscultural differences, considerations of culture/subculture, spirituality/religion, and social class are important factors that influence attitudes, beliefs, and values in death, dying, and funeral rites. Crosscultural research reports that factors such as social class and spirituality are important in explaining the range and diversity of beliefs, values, and practices observed among African people.

Africa is a vast continent with considerable diversity among its people. A number of distinctive cultural traditions concerning births and deaths have been observed across its various subcultures, societies, and tribes. Many Africans observe and identify with a variety of spiritual beliefs and many of their attitudes, beliefs, and values about life and death are aligned with their spiritual beliefs. For example, although many West Africans subscribe to elaborate funerals, West African Muslims have [Page 20]characteristic beliefs about death care, postmortems, and preparation of remains, including simple funerals with a dignified burial. In addition, the socioeconomic status is of significant influence in that the wealthy are more likely to embalm and invest in metal caskets while the less affluent are more likely to forgo embalming and use simple wood carved caskets. Such differences exist among many African tribes.

African Views on the Origin of Death

Like most people, Africans have many enduring curiosities and beliefs about the origin of death. One such African myth regards death as a spirit that grants a “gift of escape” from the suffering of the physical world. Another of the oldest and most enduring accounts about the origin of death is referenced in the ancient folklore of the Asante of West Africa. According to folklore, there was a time when people experiencing death petitioned God to stop death. The request was granted, and for the next 3 years no one died and no children were born. The people again petitioned God to have children even if it also meant accepting death. This ancient African folklore illustrates the African worldview that life and death are complementary—a view of life and death as cyclical with death viewed as a part of this cycle.

African death superstitions evolve into practices and customs based on insecurities and fears about death. One African tribe has a custom of removing the dead body through a hole in the wall of the house instead of the door. This is done to make it difficult for the dead person's spirit to remember and find its way back to haunt and disturb the family. Likewise, many enduring intricate African funeral rites are believed to be essential to honor and to place loved ones at rest. According to African beliefs, by executing these funeral rites the survivors minimize the chances of wandering spirits returning to disturb those left behind. Many such funeral customs and practices of death care are based on mythology and superstition about death.

But despite the considerable diversity among African people, some commonalities and distinctive cultural markers can be identified as these are based on shared attitudes toward death, dying, and funeral rites.

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