ARES Readings: Death and immortality in African religions

Both life and death are given by the creator. Once life is given then death becomes inevitable. Saying in Ghana "obra tawa wu", means each person lives towards
death.

A myth about how death entered in this world is that, 2 messengers one of life and death were sent by God and the messenger of death reached mankind first.

A Nigerian myth is that God created human beings, tortoise and stones. He created a male female pair of all except stones.The living beings were allowed to do anything they wished
but no reproduce. God warned them against reproduction and told them they would face death if they did so.Humans and tortoises did reproduce even with the warning, but stones did not
and thus death prevailed upon all living beings

They believe that there are phyical and non-physical causes of death. Physical causes were plague, diseases, war, executions, earth quakes, old age...
Non-physical included a curse from and elderly person. Breaking of a covenant or oath could cause death. Similarly, magic was also a non-physical cause of death

Meaning of death:

When death occurs, the immaterial part (the soul) separates itself from the body and survives the experience of death. A human being possess Okra, a part of God 
in every person. Not present in animals. At death Okra, returns to its God and reunites. "Onyame bewa na mawu", means whan a human dies, physically the Okra is not 
dead, it is eternal and indestructible.

How is the body prepared upon death:

The body is prepared as if he is going to a journey, and personal belongings we put in the coffin. e.g. soap, comb, tools, towel etc..
Messages are also given to the deceased to carry to relatives in the other world. This shows the belief of communication between the deceased and the living.
Death's only a channel through which the deceased passes to continue to live in a form of spirit. 
The family members of the dead shave of their hair as a sign of mourning.

After death and immortality:

Servants used to compete for the privilege to be buried alive with the King when he died in order to serve him in the next world. Because the dead continue to live, 
communication is possible between the dead and living. They make prayers, give offerings and sacrifices to do that.



Return of the dead:

The neophytes believe that a person dies in his old self and is born into a new person, they die to be reborn.

The Zulus believe that the dead are reborn by burying the dead in a squatting position, just as a fetas is placed inside the embryo
They also believe that the dead is retuerned into the same family, their names reflect this belief. Iyabo -> mother returns, Babatunde -> Father returns again

The fate of the dead:

In Ghana, the God Olodumare makes judgement. Each person who dies has to give an account of his/her earthly life. Those who pass this test are sent to 
Orun rere, place with no sorrow and suffering, and those people may choose to be reborn into their families. Those who fail in the trial of God are sent to
Orun apaadi, which is hot and dry with earth worms and centipedes as the only food.

The Bini of Nigeria believe that God has ordered every human being 14 turns throughout his life, and the tours begin at birth and end at death. A person's place
in the after life is determined by the way he/she has lived during the 14 tours.

In the African view, the world has no end, time is infinite. The creator sustains the world and there is no thought that it will come to an end.

