A draft policy frame meant to serve as a guideline to regulate the observance of any manner of funeral rites at Yamfo in the Brong Ahafo region which should have come into full force last October but had to be suspended as it was not unanimously accepted by the community. As a sequel citizens of Yamfo in the diaspora are therefore feverishly deliberating on this issue in order to submit a common proposal to the committee to consider and add to the draft before it is adopted as the by- laws by the Tano North District Assembly for the Yamfo Traditional Area. November 22nd 2007 is the date set for the final collation of views of those in the diaspora.

The citizens are of the view that the draft document on funeral celebrations at Yamfo must be re-examined carefully in order not to generate tension in the township as some of the provisions have the potential of renewing conflict in the area that is battling to get a lasting solution to a protracted chieftaincy dispute that is confronting it. For it is on record that this unhealthy state of affair at Yamfo saw the demise of earlier attempts to establish a funeral committee in the 1980s/90s. It is in light of the above that the citizens of Yamfo in the diaspora are calling on the framers of the draft document to take a second look at it. The by-laws when become operational will have the following as signatories, Otumfuo Osei Tutu 11 (Asantehene); Nana Ansah Adu-Baah (Paramount Chief-Yamfo Traditional Area); Hon. Nicholas Lenin Anane Agyei (DCE – Tano North District Assembly); Mr. Anthony Twumasi Ankrah (Town Council Chairman- Yamfo); Mr. Edward Kufour-Barnes (Youth Development Association, Yamfo) and Inspector Samuel Amoani (Ghana Police Service- Yamfo).

The funeral policy should have seen its implementation since October 1st 2007, but had to be put on hold due to its failure to meet the approval of the members of Yamfo Township at a general forum where it was presented. In a telephone interaction with an opinion leader, Mr. Kwabena Agyei Boahen popularly known as Ras Copper, he noted “The Funeral By-Law was rejected by a cross section of the community, notably among them were; sub chiefs; senior citizens; various family heads and the elites on the grounds that ample education was not properly pursued”. Mr. Agyei Boahen enumerated some of the reasons why the draft proposal failed at birth to impress the gathering as, “Badly organized forums to deliberate on it before coming out with the final draft”. Agyei Boahen also said, “Representatives of sub chiefs and clan heads on the committee failure to brief their respective heads of the issues that were arrived at the committee’s sittings”. As a result the heads felt they did not want to be part of a law that their inputs were not entertained hence their opposing views and therefore called for a total review of the draft document. Other nagging points raised by those who opposed the draft document and therefore called for its suspension, attributed it to the position and role of the Youth Association in Yamfo during the presentation of the draft proposal. Quoting Ras Copper once again, “the Elders claim there was all indications that they “The Youth” have a hidden agenda to usurp the functions of the funeral committee, Town Council and the Traditional Council. This position of the Youth Association became suspicious to some of the elders of Yamfo, therefore called for the suspension of the by –Law and that further debate should be opened on it”. Some questioned the criteria used in selecting members to form the funeral committee and the involvement of the police. To some the police officer should not be one of the signatories as this will make him to compromise his position as a peace officer.

Among the provisions in the by-laws is the constituting of a–seven-member funeral committee charged with the responsibility of having all deaths reported to it for the fixing of a date and venue for the funeral. The proposal hinted, “Monthly funeral celebrations shall be organized for all deaths reported. A family can decide to bury the dead instantly without funeral rites within the month. At the end of the month (Saturday) where it falls on Nkyida or Akwasidae, it should be shifted to the next Saturday”. The draft by– laws also prescribed some penal measures against families that will flout the regulations during the observance of the funeral of a deceased. Some of the offences as found in the document which will attract heavy fines should they be flouted include the following, printing of T-Shirts, handkerchiefs, procuring a particular cloth for a funeral; burying of the dead in tombs or concrete graves, erection of structures on or around graves, observing funerals on sacred days; laying the dead in state at the Community Center in Yamfo. According to Agyei Boahen, “These penal measures did not go down well with the people hence failed to enjoy the general consensus of the gathering as folks called for further brainstorming”.

According to the document Nananom of Yamfo Traditional Council, clan heads and Yamfo Youth Development Association that constituted the committee took a closer look at current trend of funeral celebrations which conflict the culture of the people of Yamfo, as the funeral activities do not depict mourning and elements of sadness associated with the death of a beloved relative. The committee also took into consideration the high cost of funeral expenses which sometimes are unbearable to the bereaved family. As in most cases huge debts are incurred which could have been avoided. Examples like invasion of foreign culture such as the printing of thank you cards; video coverage; keeping of copses at the mortuary for long period were cited for the need for a funeral policy in the traditional area. The committee noted that all these in the area go to inflate the funeral expenses. Besides, precious and productive hours are wasted on funerals which could have been used for some productive ventures in the interest of the people and the township. Giving a historical account of the failure of earlier attempts to have a functional funeral committee at Yamfo in the 1980s and 1990s, Alexander Boakye-Srampa, currently based in the UK and a former Town Council Secretary of Yamfo hinted, “The funeral committee system was first introduced to Yamfo in 1985 by the Youth Association working in close collaboration with Nananom, the Town Development Council, lineage heads as well as all sections of the community”. To him the funeral committee operated in “a social atmosphere” which was very conducive from the outset. Boakye-Srampa noted, “But when chieftaincy disputes started to set in some lineages broke away and started organizing funerals according to their whims and caprices to the neglect of the by-laws by securing permits or passes from the police therefore rendering the funeral committee’s operations ineffective”.

We are in 2007 and the feuding chiefs at Yamfo have not smoked the peace pipe, “So who is going to be the central authority in ensuring the implementation of the by-laws”? Queried Boakye-Srampa. He questioned further, “Has the social context improved or become more conducive to warrant the reintroduction of the committee”? To him the idea of funeral committee is basically a voluntary organization and therefore its implementation has to be approached with much circumspect. Summing up his view, Boakye-Srampa said, “This is why I have been hammering on the need to promote unity and trust before the reintroduction of the funeral by-laws so as not to bring anarchy in the community”. The writer in filing this piece spoke to some of the citizens of Yamfo in the diaspora to get their views on the draft funeral policy. Most of the respondents in their submissions were very candid and emphatic in expressing their opinions but pleaded anonymity. They all in principle agreed that some of the clauses need to be revised to meet the satisfaction of all parties. One remarked “If the people become defiant and go ahead with the plan, we will all bear its disastrous ramification tomorrow”. A lady from Yamfo but based in Framingham-Massachusetts, who only identified herself as Gina talking to me on phone remarked, “George, if the chieftaincy dispute persists in Yamfo I can bet with my last dime that the funeral committee and the by-laws will be a fruitless venture”. She explained further that unity must first be sought among the chiefs, or else the committee will be there in name and only be seen as a paper tiger that will not bite. Alex Addo added his view by saying, “Yamfo is already polarized on chieftaincy line, so elders and all stakeholders should not allow the funeral by-laws aggravate the situation”. He therefore called on all to find a lasting solution to the crisis that is looming in the town.

According to the Akyempehene of Yamfo, Nana Ohemeng Adjei, aka “Obolobo”, “Being very rigid in terms of the promulgation of funeral laws will not augur well for the healthy coexistence of the various interested parties as the issue of ability to bear the cost of the funeral of a deceased should be flexible”. Nana Ohemeng Adjei personally has his reservations of the constituting of a new funeral committee in Yamfo, to him previous committees have not accounted for their stewardships; he is therefore calling for a forensic audit into the accounts of the previous committees. He also requested that a clause indicating how members of the new committee should account for their stewardship be stated in the by-laws should it become operational. He concluded by saying that before the implementation of the new funeral by-laws every Yamfo citizens should as a matter of urgency insist on having a report on the activities of the previous committees be made public. In absence of that bereaved lineages and families should continue with their internal funeral arrangements, but he cautioned, “Cut your coat according to the material that you have”. He further said that he is only calling for accountability and not a revolution.

Source:- George Kwaku Doe (Framingham-MA)
Email (georgedoek@yahoo.com)