Towards widowhood rites: A comparative study of the Dagaaba and the Ewe people of Ghana

Abstract

This study examined the practices of widowhood rites in Dagaaba and Ewe communities. It applied an approach to intersectionality and resilience to explore the idea of selfhood and personality, and uses case studies to explain the difficulties that arise in using a human rights approach to tackle the widows' plight in the two communities. The study adopted qualitative analysis techniques. In Dagaaba and Ewe, the predicament of widows has shown that much remains to be done to meet the concerns of several categories of African women. Seminars, workshops symposia and the media can be used as a genuine tool for educating the entire civil society and the masses about widowhood rites and projecting widows' rights to all facets of society. The study concluded that the morals for addressing widowhood in an African society should concentrate on addressing the "human aspect"–the limitations (e.g., legal, religious, cultural, and socio-economic) embedded in the social relations that restrict both the widow and community.