Widowhood practices of the Gbi Northern Ewe of Ghana: a curse or blessing for African womanhood?

Abstract

Widowhood is characterised by bereavement; a condition generally regarded as a difficult experience that constitutes a state of emotional and psychological stress which takes some time for the bereaved partner to recover from. For example, apart from preventing a bereaved wife from taking possession of her late husband’s property, she is also subjected to some unpleasant widowhood practices. This paper, therefore, investigated widowhood practices among the Gbi-Ewes of northern Volta Region in Ghana, so as to ascertain whether these rites and practices are only targeted at dehumanising and oppressing African womanhood, or (in spite of its criminalisation in recent times), it still has certain embedded cultural values that ensure the overall good of not only widows in the Gbi traditional area of northern Eweland, but also, in other indigenous societies of Ghana and Africa.

Keywords: Widow, bereavement, widowhood practices, cultural practice