Ejisu (Ash), Jan 21, GNA - Nana Afrane Okese IV, Paramount Chief of the Ejisu traditional area in Ashanti has expressed concern about expensive funeral celebrations in recent times.

Nana Afrane Okese IV in an interview with the Ghana News Agency at Ejisu, said funeral celebration was a traditional event used to bid the dead farewell, but modernization seemed to have adulterated the sombre traditional rituals and mourning associated with the celebration. He said funerals were meant for mourning the dead and sympathizing with bereaved family, but the people of today have turned it into an occasion for partying and enjoyment which was not the best. Nana Afrane Okese noted that because of the expensive nature of funerals these days, many families have gone bankrupt. He stated that the huge amount of money spent on funerals could be used profitably to invest in children's education and other income ventures.

Nana Afrane Okese hinted that the Ejisu Traditional Council would come out with a funeral celebration policy this year, to regulate funeral celebration in the area. He said the policy would consider how much people spend on food, cloths, drinks and others during funerals. He said that wake-keeping would also be considered and if possible scrapped to improve the health condition of people in the area.