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Giving Back to the Elderly: Cross-Cultural Construction of Befitting Burial for the Dead in Nigeria

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Abstract

Befitting burial signifies both a celebration of the deceased and a rite ushering the deceased into the afterlife. Regardless of whether or not the needs of elderly persons were met before death, children of the deceased emphasised the need to organise for their elderly persons befitting burial, often an elaborate ceremony to honour the dead. This necessitated an in-depth understanding of cross-cultural explanation of befitting burial, experiences of elderly persons before death, and their expectation at demise. A case study was conducted on six individuals that represent different interests and categories in Ibadan, Nigeria. Three of the cases were above 60 years. By cultural affiliations, two each were Yoruba, Hausa, and Igbo, while three who were below 60 years had organised befitting burial before. Elderly persons reported illness experience and social care and supports they received from family members. Individuals below age 60 years gave social and financial supports to their elderly family members. All the elderly persons who participated in the study wanted befitting burial. Cultural care for the elderly is losing strength owing to religious differences and economic situation of the family. There were disparities in the conception of elderly care and befitting burial for the dead. Elderly persons’ perception and expectation of befitting burial should inform the burial decisions made by their families and loved ones.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria

    Abolaji Azeez & Kabiru K. Salami

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  1. Abolaji Azeez
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  2. Kabiru K. Salami
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Correspondence to Kabiru K. Salami.

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Azeez, A., Salami, K.K. Giving Back to the Elderly: Cross-Cultural Construction of Befitting Burial for the Dead in Nigeria. Population Ageing 13, 25–39 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12062-018-9231-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12062-018-9231-9

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