African funerals

African beliefs about death

The rite almost always comes from the family’s faith. Across the continent that is most often Christianity or Islam, and in many families traditional practice is held alongside one of them rather than instead of it. Nigeria, for example, is close to evenly divided between Islam and Christianity, and many people combine indigenous practice with either.

What the culture shapes is different: who gathers, how long it takes, who must be present, what is owed to the extended family, and where the person who has died is finally buried. Those are the questions we ask about, because the answers differ from family to family.

African funeral ceremonies

Four things recur widely enough to be worth saying. A funeral is a community occasion: when one family mourns, the village mourns with it, and neighbours take on cooking, cleaning and the cost. People travel very long distances to attend. The size of the gathering is read as a judgement on the person who has died and on their family. And obligation falls heavily on the extended family, particularly on the eldest child.

Everything more specific than that belongs to a particular country or people, and we will ask rather than assume.

The honest guidance here is the guidance UK bereavement charities give: ask the family what they keep. Here's what to expect:

• Repatriation: Returning the person who has died to their country of origin for burial. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland this needs the coroner's notice and a wait of about four clear days; Scotland uses a Procurator Fiscal's Furth of Scotland letter instead.
• Burial society: A mutual fund for funeral costs, which arose in response to the pressures of migration and urbanisation.
• Aso ebi: Yoruba in origin and now used across Nigeria: matching cloth that family and friends buy for themselves to wear at a funeral, as a visible act of support.
• Oriki: Yoruba praise epithets of the person who has died, recited at the funeral.
• Ayie: Akan (Ghana) funeral rites, which the family is responsible for performing properly and in good time.
• Umuada: Among the Igbo, the daughters of a lineage, who have a standing role in how a funeral is conducted.
• Age grade: A traditional peer cohort which may perform or take a formal role at a funeral.
• Iddah: In Islamic law, the widow's waiting period of four months and ten days.
• Second burial: A later, often elaborate final funeral rite, held among a number of peoples. Practice and name vary by culture.
• Symbolic home funeral: A funeral held in the country of origin when the body is not repatriated, meaning two events for one person.

The cost of an African funeral in the UK depends on the funeral director, the venue, and the cemetery or crematorium. Three things commonly differ from a standard arrangement: attendance, which is usually much larger and affects venue, transport and catering; timing, because families may need weeks to gather relatives and raise funds; and repatriation, which carries its own paperwork, embalming requirements and cost. Where a funeral is also being held in the country of origin, that is a second event to plan and pay for. Your local Dignity funeral director can talk you through everything that is included, and the costs.

At Dignity, we’re here to support families of every culture. We can arrange Nigerian, Caribbean, Jamaican, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Irish and Spanish funerals, and funerals for people of every faith and none. Call your local funeral director today to talk about your needs.