Monday, May 18, 2009

The Ram

He paraded on the red carpet as seemingly confident as any current Nollywood super star,
His steady brown gaze calmly surveying the crowd.
Was he not deafened by the cacophony of noises?
Was his blood not quickened by the rhythm of the drums?
Was he not blinded by the skyline now comprised of canopies and voluminous velvet umbrellas?
Yet there he stood.
On the red carpet.
Calm.
Serene.
Uncomplaining.
Head titled to the side almost quizzically,
His white coat reflecting the rays of the late afternoon sun.
Unaware that soon, he would be dinner.

Such were my observations of a ram at a funeral in Kumasi.


As can be guessed by the post I went to a funeral in Kumasi this weekend. As a part of the offerings made to the family by the deceased daughter in laws was an enormous white ram (sheep). It was so strange that he stood there so calmly, his holder having very little to do excepting leading him by his tether.
Judging by the standards of previous funerals I had attended this one was huge! The deceased mother is a Chief and he and his siblings ' departed' her in a befitting style as cutsom would demand. My posts this week will be primarily about the funeral, though I tried to look at it from another angle and just just the usual descriptions of people and cloths.

4 comments:

The Author said...

I like you point of vision. It's as if after surveying the entire scene, you knelt down by the ram and consoled it. Great description.

Denise said...

I did feel sorry for him Nana Yaw, and yet he was really so calm. Did want you guys to think it was some hot guy I had seen at the funeral though ;-) lol!

Kajsa Hallberg Adu said...

Hi, I liked the poetic approach to the interesting funeral culture of Ghana. Captivating stuff!

Denise said...

Hi Kajsa - glad you liked the post. This week will be my 'funeral'post week. Curious to know what you will think about the other posts too