Changing Trends in the Kikonzo Concept of Death: Cultural Losses and Gains

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Changing Trends in the Kikonzo Concept of Death: Cultural Losses and Gains The question of death as cessation of life, merely sleeping or passing on to the next world is an on-going discussion in almost all societies in the world across generations, especially when there is an alien perception challenging native belief. The concept of human death is perceived differently from one culture to another and from one generation to another. Every society – modern or traditional – has rituals associated with death. Mostly, the rituals performed are reflective of the tradition to which the deceased subscribed during his 1 life time. Close friends and/or relatives, especially those who subscribe to the same tradition, usually ensure that the rituals are performed. It is a largely inherent self-obligation to perform these rituals. Mostly, rituals related to death are performed with a view of negotiating either the continuity of the life of the deceased (in some societies which believe in ‘life after death’), or continuity of normal life in the bereaved society, especially the deceased’s immediate family. In societies where cultures overlap and feed into one another, the cocktail reflects in the perception and response to death. Over time, the blend becomes the norm, and eventually, the original tradition is lost completely leading to an intentionally or sometimes unwittingly hybrid society. This paper traces the changing trends in the perception and response to the occurrence of death among the Bakonzo, an ethnic group in Western Uganda, inhabiting the slopes and foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains. It traces the changes using majorly four societal landmarks: the early Kikonzo traditional society, the society at and after the advent of foreign modern religions – especially Christianity and Islam, the society influenced by neighbouring and intermingling

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