Community is the base of all ceremony and tradition for the Bamiléké people. While there is a mix of individualism and collectivitiy, the contributions of the individual to the community are extremely important in this society.
Funerals are one of the few occasions when members of a family will all be in the same place at the same time as circumstances of marriage and employment often cause people in a family to live far apart. These reunions help to ease some of the grief caused by the death of a family member.
The family also helps to insure a good performance as they bring the full force of a community's musicians and dancers together for a particular event. These performances are crucial to the success of a funeral. The strength that the reunions and the music pass on to the participants of a funeral nurture the community as a whole. This in turn enables them to properly honor their deceased loved one. It is not a sorrowful occation like the burial ceremony but rather one of rememberance, respect and celebration of the person who has passed away.
"Every time an old man dies it is as if a library has burnt down."
-Amadou
Hampate Ba,
a Malian Scholar
Funeral Ceremony, Bafou-Dschang
