A legal consultant and member of the American Bar Association, has begun a fight against the practice where some Ghanaians buy funerals in order to make profit from them. This habit, he noted, has become popular and widespread among Ghanaians, thereby resulting in some families running into huge debts because expensive funeral ceremonies. Mr. Kofi Atiemo-Gyan, who is based in Nigeria, made this known at a press conference in Accra on Wednesday, February 28, 2008. “Gone are the days when the people of Ghana mourned the dead by abstaining from food and drink and were greatly respected for this modest custom”, he lamented. According to Atiemo–Gyan, who is also the chairman of patrons of the Ghanaian community in Nigeria, funerals had unfortunately become money making ventures. “People now buy golden caskets which are now reputed to have more commercial value in Ghana than gold, while textile firms now lay more emphasis on orders for funerals than for general commercial purposes”, he regretted. The legal consultant observed that it had now become a common practice for funeral celebrations to start from Friday, which is a working day, and which has a negative impact on the nation’s economy and productivity. “Ghanaians should understand, at this level of our civilization, that the country’s economic stability has to be taken into consideration and individuals who are privileged to be wealthy should invest and create employment for the youth and school leavers; funeral ceremonies should not be used to display one’s wealth.” he advised. Mr. Atiemo-Gyan said the ostentatious nature of funerals encouraged violent crime, fraud and corruption, adding that this must be discouraged. He said it was ironical that “when a man is alive, he is deprived of good food, water, clothing, healthcare and shelter but when he dies and is not in any position to appreciate any gesture, millions of cedis are spent on his burial.” He exhorted Ghanaians to rather show love, care and concern for the living. Source:pfm