Ghana’s professional criers go international

While other nations are gaining fame in big developments and inventions, unemployment and its resultant poverty and frustration is making Ghana popular in shameful mediocrities.

Recently, it was the Ghana Drunkards Association that got invitation from Germany to represent Ghana at this year’s Beer Festival also called Oktoberfest in Germany scheduled for October this year.

This time round, it is the Ghana professional criers who are making international headlines because the association makes money for its members when they get invitation to a funeral which has got nothing to do with them at all, to cry for a fee.

Leader of one of the criers associations of Ghana, Ami Dokli said in a recent interview with the BBC that they exist to help bereaved families who are unable to cry during the burial of their deceased relatives, so as to sensationalise the ceremony.

Awo Yaadonkoh, the leader of the Kumasi Funeral Criers Association recently told Otownloaded that they “are always hired by people to cry at the funeral rites of their dead relatives, friends, some people even go to the extent of including in their will that their family members should contact us after their death.”

She added: “The way we professionally cry moves sympathizers to give out more money to the bereaved families. That’s the main reason people contract us.”

One interesting thing about these criers associations is that they claim to be a group of widows who have come together to form the associations in various regions of Ghana.

It is obvious that poverty coupled with too much love for funerals are culminating in the formation of such associations.

They apparently undertake rehearsals which according to odditycentral.com, enable them do the crying with expertise.

The hallmark of the professional cries include: “crying with swagg, deep wailing and shouting, crying and rolling on the ground, crying and walking at funeral ground, highly emotional crying, basic crying, crying and vomiting, chipmunk crying.”

To change this unfortunate trend, there must be social intervention policies aimed at cushioning women after the death of their husbands to enable them take care of the needs of their children as well as their own needs.

Social intervention policies could include establishment of income generating jobs to get them busy.

As for excessive love for and expenditure on funerals, the least said about them, the better.

Ghana’s professional criers go international

While other nations are gaining fame in big developments and inventions, unemployment and its resultant poverty and frustration is making Ghana popular in shameful mediocrities.

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