Death is Big Business in Ivory Coast, Where Funerals Cost Fortunes
Valerie Bli Lou, a shopkeeper from a modest family, is determined to give her late father a lavish Ivorian funeral tradition demands, whether she can afford it or not.
Dancing through the night at her father's wake in Yopougon, a working-class neighborhood in Abidjan, Ivory Coast's economic capital, the 60-year-old shared the hardships of organizing and paying for this tribute.
Death is a significant industry in Ivory Coast, where families are expected to bid farewell to their loved ones with grand, music-filled feasts blending joy and sadness. Bli Lou had already spent over 2.5 million CFA francs ($4,275) on her father's funeral rites—a sum exceeding 15 times the average monthly salary in the West African country, according to the World Bank.
There were more expenses to come: transporting the coffin, building a tomb, and hosting hundreds of guests at the burial. Despite the difficulty, Bli Lou, a Christian, expressed pride in covering the costs, stating, "My father is like my second God. I must honor him."
- Tears and Dancing -
When Bli Lou's father passed away in July, she lacked the funds for a traditional funeral. She followed a common practice by preserving his body in a morgue, at a daily rate of 7,000 francs, while raising the necessary funds with family and friends. She eventually organized a wake at a center in Yopougon known for hosting such events, where families often reserve weeks in advance.
The center hosted four wakes on the same night, with bands, tents, and decorated chapels. The gatherings were a blend of tears and music, embraces, and dancing.
- 'Pressure' -
At another wake, a DJ publicly acknowledged contributors, revealing the family had spent over five million francs. Some family members went into debt to raise the funds, expressing a sense of pressure, as Mathias Zouh noted, "Our parents and grandparents did it, so we do it, too. Otherwise, it would reflect badly on you in the village."
Anthropologist Leo Montaz explains the significance of funerals in some Ivorian communities, stating that they can spark competition and rivalries between families. He adds that, for Muslims, Ivory Coast's other major faith, funerals are organized more quickly but are still expensive.
The importance of funeral rites has fostered a booming industry in Ivory Coast. In Yopougon, stores offer a wide range of products, from coffins and funeral clothing to artificial flowers, headstones, and perfumes for the deceased. Gertrude Brou, a funeral industry veteran, shares, "There's a need for funerals, and it's a job that earns you a good living."