The Anlo Traditional Council has indicated that it will organize a final funeral rite for former President Jerry John Rawlings.
The Council said it will do this without the body of Rawlings which has since been buried at the Military Cemetery in Accra.
In an interview with Accra based Citi FM, the Secretary to the local funeral planning committee of Anlo Traditional area, Agbotadua Kumasah said, the absence of a body will not prevent them from honouring one of their own, who was also properly installed chief.
“Until his burial today, we were expecting his body to be released to us so now that they are going to bury him in Accra, we as Anlos will organise our own traditional burial for him,” Agbotadua Kumasah said.
He noted that in Anlos’ history, there had been precedent for such an occurrence necessitating a funeral without a body.
“We have had some chiefs who were captured in war. We have had chiefs who drowned and the bodies were not recovered. We had chiefs who were burned to ashes and chiefs who were lost who we didn’t know whether they were alive or not.”
Rich cultural display at Ex-President JJ Rawlings’ funeral
“But there are procedures for burying those people so with or without the body, we have our own way of organising funerals for such people,” Agbotadua Kumasah said.
The Anlo traditional area has been opposed to the state’s handling of the funeral arrangements since Mr. Rawlings’ death on November 12, 2020.
Mr. Rawlings was given a state funeral at the Black Star Square ahead of burial at the military cemetery.