The Traditional Council of Manso Datano has announced a total ban on the widely practiced one-week funeral observation, in a decisive step aimed at curbing the soaring cost of funerals and easing the financial burden on families.

The directive was announced by the Queen Mother of Manso Datano, Nana Nyame Pomaa, who stated that the ban will take effect from Monday, October 6, 2026, and will remain in force indefinitely.

Nana Nyame Pomaa said the decision was reached unanimously by the traditional council, elders, and opinion leaders of the community after extensive deliberations on the growing economic pressures associated with funeral rites.

According to the Queen Mother, the community is returning to its ancestral customs, where one-week celebrations were not part of the funeral tradition.

“In our ancestors’ time, there was nothing like one-week observation. This modern practice has made funerals very expensive,” she said.

She lamented that funerals in recent years have become a major source of financial distress for many households, with families forced to borrow money or organize contributions just to hold a one-week ceremony, long before the actual burial and final funeral rites.

“We are going back to follow the footsteps of our ancestors. Families are forced to borrow, do contributions and spend a lot before the actual funeral. We want to ease that pressure,” she stressed.

Nana Nyame Pomaa further noted that in some cases, families in Datano have been pushed into debt as they struggle to meet societal expectations tied to elaborate funeral observances.

The council believes abolishing the one-week event will help restore sanity, financial discipline, and dignity to funeral practices.

She disclosed that all families and residents within the town have agreed to comply strictly with the new directive.

She cautioned that anyone who violates the ban after the effective date by organizing a one-week observation will be summoned before the traditional authorities to face appropriate customary sanctions.

She therefore appealed to all natives of Manso Datano, both at home and in the diaspora, to respect and comply with the new traditional law in the interest of the community’s development.

The decision has since been met with widespread approval from residents.

Several residents who spoke to this reporter described the move as timely and progressive, noting that the current economic climate has made it increasingly difficult for ordinary families to fund elaborate funerals.

They commended Nananom for their visionary leadership and called on other communities to emulate the example of Manso Datano.

They expressed hope that other communities facing similar challenges will emulate the example of Manso Datano to make funerals less burdensome and more meaningful.