[Themaintainers] (BBC) Why Ghanaians take so long to bury their dead

[Andrew Russell]

Thanks Camille for sending- very interesting.  

At first, I read most of the article through the lens of what is being maintained (bodies, families, customs, and so on), and to whose benefit/detriment.  So the author’s conclusion that you highlighted, about the unintended consequences of refrigeration ("I am blaming the Ghanaian funeral madness on refrigeration. Without fridges, we would not be able to keep bodies for the ludicrously long periods we currently do.”), came as some surprise to me!  

I am still having fun processing the argument.  My mind wanders to different sizes & designs of refrigerators, i.e. everyday kitchen uses vs storing bodies.  So I’m tempted to suggest more nuance, and others on this list coming from history of technology and STS backgrounds will likely have a similar reflex (to resist a direct causal explanation between a class of technologies and a specific social consequence).  So, is the 'Ghanaian funeral madness’ a consequence of refrigeration in general, or rather of the ways that large (body-sized) refrigeration units have been distributed and used in those particular communities?  

Curious to hear reactions from others….

Andy




> On Jun 18, 2018, at 9:18 AM, Camille E. Acey <connect at camilleacey.com> wrote:
> 
> As a Ghanaian and a member of this community, I'd be keen to know what folks make of her conclusion! 
> 
> https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-44303067
> 
> 
> Camille
> 
> Camille E. Acey
> 
> "Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare." - Audre Lorde
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