The Afterlife: The Concepts Of Life And Death

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The afterlife can be described as the belief that an essential part of an individual's identity or the stream of any consciousness continues to show after the death of the physical body. In African culture and religion, life does not end with death, but it continues in another realm. The concepts of "life" and "death" are not mutually unique concepts, and there are no clear dividing lines between the two. Death does not end the life or change the personality of that individual, but it does cause a change in its conditions. This is expressed in the concept of the term ancestors. Ancestors are people who have died but who continue to live in the community and communicate with their families in reference to many African cultures. Death is usually …show more content…

They believe that if this is not done, the dead person may become a wandering ghost, unable to properly live after death and ultimately a danger to those who remain alive. African peoples have a common custom of removing the dead body through a hole in the wall of a house instead of through the door. It is said that this will make it difficult for the dead person to remember their way back to the living especially because the hole in the wall is immediately closed. Sometimes the body is even removed feet first. A zigzag path may be taken in order to get to the burial site, or thorns scattered along the way, or even a barrier hoisted at the grave itself because the dead are believed to strengthen the living. Others take special steps to ensure that the dead are easily able to return to their homes. Some people are even buried under or next to their homes. It is believed that at the graves, the spirits hover over on the earth and are restless until they are brought home which is seen as an extremely dangerous situation for the family.Family members even take some of the earth covering the grave and put it in a bottle and proceed home with the assurance that the deceased relative is accompanying them to look after the family as an

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