Funeral

In Burkina Faso, when a leader dies, the griot or storyteller passes on oral traditions. He accompanies himself with the tam tam, a percussion instrument. He passes through the village, announcing the death of a leader. People follow him to the funeral. The special thing is blacksmiths in Burkina Faso have a strong influence and a lot of power because kings trusted them to make good weapons. Blacksmiths, therefore, also function as mediators and perform important roles in funeral rituals. Their wives will prepare the funeral beer over fires.

In the world of the dead, an inverted life develops, according to tradition in Burkina Faso. The dead experience day as the living experience night, and so forth. Often the dead refuse to leave the world. So to ease the pain of the dead, the living will speak to the dead through a ritual called evocation. And in Burkina Faso, music is an important part of funeral rituals. The tam tam, or percussion instrument will transmit the joy to the dead person, and dancers dance to the music of the tam tams.