Inside a commercial vehicle once, someone talked about how his younger brother - 37 years old died after a brief illness. He was unmarried without any child, yet possessed properties worthy of being a 'man.' After burying the dead, the family burnt all his possessions, ATM Cards inclusive, to totally erase his memories; since he left no child behind. 'That's the culture' he said. Thankfully, I'm not Yoruba. But out of curiosity, I asked; 'Which culture?' And everyone in the vehicle, regardless of the ethnicity or religion chorused; " African Culture" "It's the normal thing to do," said the drunk driving motorist. It broke my heart! Though the dead is gone, and the inanity of acquiring wealth ends once the heartbeat stops, I do not expect the living to treat the dead that way. But hey, this is life; perhaps meaningless! Different cultures with different ways of treating their dead. Many will bury their dead, some will burn, a few w...
