The Dispute Over Widow Rites Between Daddy Lumba's Wives

  

 

Charles Kwadwo Fosu, known widely by his stage name Daddy Lumba, passed away on July 26, 2025. His death has triggered a public debate in Ghana over who among his surviving spouses has the right to perform his widowhood rites: his first wife, Akosua Serwaa, or his second wife, Priscilla Ofori Atta (aka Odo Broni).

Key Players & Their Claims

• Akosua Serwaa is Daddy Lumba’s first wife. The couple had four children. She claims to be his legal wife and is insisting that she should be the one recognized to carry out widowhood rites.
• Odo Broni (Priscilla Ofori Atta) is his second wife; they also had children together. She is being positioned by some as a widow, but there are debates about whether the necessary customary or legal marriage rites were properly observed in regard to her.
• The family head (Abusuapanyin) and the broader Fosu family are involved, as per Akan customary norms. In many Akan communities, the family lineage (through the Abusuapanyin among others) has a strong say in burial, funeral rites, and widowhood rites.

What Widowhood Rites Mean, Customarily

In Akan (and many Ghanaian) culture, “widowhood rites” (or widowhood/customary mourning rites) are not just symbolic but carry spiritual, moral, and social weight. Among their purposes are:

• Purification of the surviving spouse after death of their partner.
• A way of severing or transforming the relationship with the deceased (socially and spiritually).
• Public recognition that one was a lawful spouse and not merely a partner without customary or legal validation. This matters for inheritance, social status, and family obligations.

Where the Dispute Comes From

Several interlocking issues make this case complex:

1.      Which marriage was legitimate or fully recognized?

• Did the second marriage (to Odo Broni) adhere to custom (or legal marriage rites)?
• Was there customary marriage, payment of bride-price or official registration, etc.? If not, then according to Akan custom, a spouse not married under customary rules may lack the right to be recognized for rites that depend on that status.

2.      Legal vs. Customary Recognition

• Ghana recognizes different forms of marriage: ordinance, customary, etc. What is recognized legally (in terms of inheritance, property, and rights) may differ from what is recognized within a family or lineage under custom.
• If a marriage did not satisfy legal or customary requirements, it may be that the person is seen in some quarters as a “partner” rather than a spouse, which can affect eligibility for rites.

3.      Role of the Family (Lineage / Abusuapanin)

• In Akan culture, while the spouse has certain rights, the family (especially the family head Abusuapanin) usually plays a deciding role in funeral and mourning rites, including widowhood rites. The family often determines who performs what, and whether one or multiple widows may participate.
• The family may consider who is recognized traditionally, who has custody of children, and what the social implications are.

4.      Court / Legal Claims

• Akosua Serwaa has filed a court suit seeking an injunction to halt the funeral preparations until she is properly involved and so that her role (as she claims) as the only person entitled to perform the widowhood rites is recognized.
• The funeral planning committee has responded that no legal injunction has been served and that funeral plans (including the funeral date) will proceed. They emphasize that the family has discretion over funeral rites.

Arguments on Both Sides

For Akosua Serwaa

• She is the first wife, presumably married under customary or recognized rites and therefore fully acknowledged in the traditional structures of the family.
• If the second marriage did not observe customary/official formalities (e.g., bringing the second wife “home,” fully performing customary rites, or obtaining legal recognition), then she might see her status as “first and legal wife” as giving her exclusive right to perform widowhood rites.

For Odo Broni

• She regards herself as a wife and widow, especially having children with Daddy Lumba.
• Some believe she has a part to play, whether jointly with the first wife or independently, especially if she was publicly recognized as a spouse.
• The emotional/social recognition (by the public, by Daddy Lumba himself, etc.) may be invoked to support her claim.

Cultural/Community Consideration

• The family may decide that both widows have some role, or that one will lead the rites, depending on what is considered proper under their custom.
• Also, public sentiment, respect for the deceased, and community expectation all play a part.

Legal & Ethical Implications

• Inheritance and property rights: If a widow is not legally recognized, she may lose rights to inheritance, access to family property, or other entitlements.
• Recognition of status: Widowhood rites are partly about recognition, social recognition and customary recognition that someone was a lawful spouse. Without that, children, spouse, and family relationships may be affected.
• Emotional, spiritual closure: For many, performing rites is part of mourning, closure, and fulfilling cultural duties. Being denied that may feel like a denial of dignity.
• Potential for legal precedent: How this case is resolved may influence how similar disputes are handled in Ghana, especially where multiple spouses and mixed types of marriages (customary, legal, informal) are involved.

What’s Already Happened

• A family head (Abusuapanin) from Daddy Lumba’s family has publicly weighed in, saying that only the recognized wife is known to the family as Akosua Serwaa, claiming that Odo Broni was never “brought home” under customary marital rites.
• The funeral planning committee has stated that no injunction has been served so funeral plans will continue. They also maintain that decisions about who performs widowhood rites are within the purview of the family.
• Some media personalities, such as Counselor Lutterodt, have argued publicly that Odo Broni should not claim widowhood or perform rites if her marriage was never legal or customary.

Broader Cultural/Legal Context

• Customary law plays a large role in Ghana, especially among Akan people, in determining marital status, widowhood rights, death rites, and inheritance. But customary practices are not always documented, standardized, or compatible with statutory law.
• The law often recognizes customary marriages, but only those that meet certain conditions (payment of bride price, traditional rites, registration where required) may enjoy full protection. Disputes often arise when marriages are informal, or when spouses live together without completing all customary or legal requirements.
• Courts are increasingly involved in these disputes, especially when rights to property, recognition, or dignity are at stake.

What Might Be the Outcome / Possible Resolutions

1.      Court Decision
The High Court may rule on whether Akosua Serwaa is the sole person entitled to perform rites, based on evidence of customary/legal marriage, and whether Odo Broni is legally or customarily a second wife.

2.      Shared Rites
The family may negotiate a compromise allowing both wives to perform rites in some capacity, or sharing responsibilities for different parts of the rites, if that is acceptable under custom.

3.      Family Authority Exercise
The Abusuapanin and family elders may decide, as per tradition, who has the right perhaps confirming one wife only, perhaps both. Such decision may be guided by what has been customary in similar past cases in the family or community.

4.      Public / Cultural Influence
Because Daddy Lumba is a public figure, public opinion, media discourse, social expectations might influence how the family proceeds and may pressure respect for fairness and recognition.

Why It Matters

• This isn’t just a personal or family dispute it touches on how Ghana’s legal system, customary practices, and evolving norms interact regarding marriage, recognition of spouses, rights, and dignity.
• Many people in Ghana live under multiple marital frameworks (customary, legal, religious, or informal), and the boundaries can be unclear. The outcome here could set or reinforce precedents.
• There are emotional and spiritual dimensions too widowhood rites are often seen as essential for both the deceased’s and survivors’ spiritual journey and peace among the family, community, and ancestors.

Reflection

The issue of who performs widowhood rites in the case of Daddy Lumba highlights tension between tradition and legal recognition; between customary norms and modern expectations; between emotional legitimacy and formal/legal legitimacy. It’s a difficult balance.

In many ways, it forces the question: What makes a person a “wife” in the eyes of custom, society, and law what rites, what recognition, what agreements and who gets to decide that?