The quest for long life and ageing
At both community and private social events in Ghana, supplication for long life is given high premium, among other requests.
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When an Akan, for example, uses the expression: Yesre nkwa tenten (we pray for long life) during traditional prayers, it points to the totality of all other elements such as vitality, vigour and health.
It also implies living long to enjoy acquired wealth, riches, children and all that add up to making life fulfilling.
At child-naming ceremonies among the Ga-Dangbe, the quest for long life (wala ee eei, wala) is made for the infant and during celebration of their annual Homowo festival, a wish for long life for one another is captured in an expression listed in a poetic prayer: Nwoo wala nwoo wala (have life, have life).
An aspect of the poetic prayer also points to warding off any spiritual agent of destruction which is symbolically represented as ‘black cat’ (alonte din), that would attempt to truncate the long life an individual is enjoying.
Living longer is deemed a blessing in Ghanaian cultural settings. Obviously it also leads to having old age looks such as wrinkled skin, shaky hands, blurred eye sight and hair loss, which are invariably generally detested by some elderly as well young people.
The high premium placed on long life by society notwithstanding, the elderly are generally derided as old age is seen as synonymous with sickness, unproductivity, infirmity, forgetfulness, illness or senility.
Although these conditions do occur, and cannot be completely ignored, it is important to note that such prejudice against the elderly can be demeaning and affect the self-esteem of the victims.
At hospitals, for example, some health workers provide their services to the elderly by the way they are defined, rather than the ailment for which they have come to see the health worker.
Generally, symptoms of ailment may be attributed to ageing and may not be given the necessary attention. This can cause difficulty for one to distinguish between normal ageing that is associated with physical deterioration and health condition during old age.
What we need to acknowledge is the changing demographic transition with high life expectancy and reduced infirmity, attest to a high population of the elderly who are also contributing politically, economically and socially to society and the development of the country.
In politics, for example, people nominated to serve as speakers of parliament in Ghana over the past years are older adults.
Members of the Council of State are mostly elderly Ghanaians; the National Peace Council comprises elderly individuals. A number of parliamentarians are older adults.
A number of the nation’s working Supreme Court judges are elderly. These elderly citizens perform roles that are very crucial to the development of the country. Similarly, older men and women in the informal sector continue to work either as farmers or traders in Ghana and contribute in diverse ways to help their families and communities.
Some elderly people have accumulated wealth in lieu of their care during old age and by this they are able to help others, including other frail or sick elderly.
Physically fit elderly women continue their caring roles for the grandchildren of their adult children who have migrated in search of greener pastures. They also perform cultural rites (undertaking) such as bathing and preparing dead family members for burial.
Labour regulations in Ghana compel workers to retire at 60 years. In some sectors workers’ retirement is pegged at 70, and in others workers are privileged to continue working as long as they are able.
These notwithstanding, negative labeling of the elderly, always exceed the positive contributions by the elderly in society, and victimisation remains a crucial issue.
Such attitudes can be minimised with some efforts at awareness creation by recognised institutions such as NGOs, the Ministry of Gender, Social Protection and Children, if not completely eliminated.
However, as long as our prayers are saturated with requests for long life, older looks are inevitable and irreversible for all.
The writer is a lecturer at the National Film and Television Institute (NAFTI)
Accra.
Story: Sarah Dsane
E-mail: [email protected]
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