There is a funeral here. So many people clad in red and black clothes. Don't be deceived, it is not a Friday and there is no March to Flagstaff.#‎occupyfunerals.

Saturdays in Ghana are so eventful. There are weddings, naming ceremonies, parties and funerals. Some people actually get married on loans just to live up to the societal call of expectation. Well, we are all entitled to choices and of course the consequences. If you decide to marry on a loan in these times where every transaction runs parallel to the exchange rates and rising cost of fuel then I bet it is a decision very well thought through. Just a quick advice, when you are done pleasing society with a wedding and you start encountering financial challenges in your marriage, grab your spouse, slot in your wedding video, relax and watch in 3D. You will definitely come up with some brilliant business ideas after the premiere. After marriage there is still life. After life is yet another life lived by transition through death.

Nana Kofi Agyemang was born in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. His parents are not extraordinarily rich but have done their best to give him the best of education. He started off in Kumasi with his basic and tertiary education and travelled to the UK to further his studies. He worked there for a while but came back to Ghana as an Investment Banker with one of the country's fast growing banks. He is married and has two wonderful kids, Kuukua and Kerkerli.

...Hmmmm..."Nana was a great husband who will go round the world and back just to make me smile. "
"Our Daddy taught us in the way of God and to be respectful. He was our friend and we love him. Who will we play with now. Why did he have to go on father's day? We will forever miss you daddy."
"His commitment to the youth ministry of this assembly was glorious. He gave his time, money and knowledge to the service of the Lord. We will miss you Nana. DamirifaDue!!!! "...and they wail on.

Those were the first paragraphs of Nana Kofi’s tributes. His biography, a tribute from his wife, his children and the church.
It was a sorrowful event. To see a young man at his prime die... very sad. He was just 42.It is not fair. Not fair at all. I just wondered if all the people who knew him including his wife and children told him all these beautiful things they read about today. I still wondered if the church showed their appreciation to this young man while he still lived. And then I wondered again, was he truly a good man or like tradition will have us do - Never talk badly about the dead.

Many incidents happened at this well organised and well attended funeral but this thought hit me hard. Why do we as a people value the dead more than the man alive? Why are we so concerned about the journey out rather than the life in? Pause, just for a quick second, pause and ponder.

 On our way to the cemetery the hearst drove at top speed crossing red lights as our police and road safety agents in their orange overall looked on unconcerned probably because they were also showing their respect at the expense of other road users. This is a man who was in no hurry to go anywhere but is giving a kingly obstacle-free ride with a private convoy of family members, friends and funeral crashers right behind him all because we value the dead more than the man alive. 
(Ps: Funeral crashers may be defined as a group of people who invite themselves to a funeral for prospective spouses, for later gossiping and or for the 'jams' with joy daddy and gidi power after the burial...Ogyaaaaa!!!!!)

Another thing I observed was the groups of people who had organised themselves and rented buses from far and near to pay their last respect to Nana. Once again I wondered; did they pay their first respect while he was alive? Why didn't all these people see the need to organize and visit him while he lived to make him know how important he was to them. Alas, we value the dead more than the man alive.

Look at the people around you and tell them what you genuinely think about them. They may die this next minute. We
have become negative people who do not see any good in anyone but in ourselves even though we are no good. I am sure you find it funny sometimes when people perceive a certain persona for you that you have no idea about. How come we dwell so much on the negatives of people while we glaringly see those strengths we secretly admire. Patch up all broken relationships. Maybe you broke it, maybe not. Patch up anyway, only because of the peace of your own mind. It is difficult but at least try. Some also think that wrapping themselves with explosives and blowing themselves up and killing others in a senseless way allows them a quicker, more efficient and assured route to heaven. I think it is a pure joke of religion. The guys can make metallic casings to protect their penises but I bet it won't guarantee a pleasurable time with the virgins they are going to meet in ‘heaven’.
Let us resolve to live a meaningful life for we only have one chance at it. We all pray against death but as long as we have life, death remains an indelible symbol of exit to the poor, the rich, the corrupt and the saint.

It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart- Eccl 7:2. You are alive and reading so take this to heart.