Ghanaian mortician Ewurabena Quartey, has explained why mortuary attendants knock on mortuary doors before entering, saying the practice is a sign of respect for the deceased.
Quartey disclosed this during an interview with BBC Pidgin, where she spoke about her experiences working with corpses and the traditions observed in the profession.
According to her, death can occur at any time, and families often bring the bodies of loved ones to the mortuary in the middle of the night.
“People die at any time, so when they do, families are often afraid to keep the body at home until morning. Around 12 a.m. or 2 a.m., someone can knock on your door to inform you that they have brought a corpse,” she said.
She added that some bodies arrive with their eyes or mouths open because relatives are sometimes too frightened to close them after death.
“Some corpses come with their eyes open because people are scared to close them. Some also come with their mouths open. That is the scary part, but apart from that, I don’t see anything frightening,” she noted.
Explaining the reason behind knocking on mortuary doors, Quartey said the gesture reflects Ghanaian cultural values of respect and dignity.
“In Ghana, we have this thing where you knock on people’s door before entering and you get response. But when we knock on their doors, it is not to get response. We know they are not alive, we know they are not active. We are trying to maintain the respect they had while they were living,” she said.
She stressed that death should not strip a person of dignity, noting that mortuary workers continue to treat the deceased with courtesy.
“We should not throw away their respect because they are dead. If we accidentally trip over them, we say sorry. Sometimes while bathing or turning them, or accidentally we leave them, we still apologise because they deserve to be treated with respect,” she explained.
Quartey also dismissed fears often associated with working around corpses, saying she believes the deceased do not harm her.
“I believe they protect me and are right by me. They don’t bother me because I don’t bother them,” she said.
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