Igbo Spiritual Leader Urges Rethink of Mortuary Practices and Ancestral Heritage

An Igbo spiritual leader, Ogilisi Igbo, has urged Igbo communities to reconsider their relationship with indigenous heritage, burial customs and the growing use of commercial mortuaries. Speaking to the Igbo diaspora on October 1, he argued that many people have become disconnected from their ancestors while embracing foreign interpretations of African spiritual traditions. He also criticised the treatment of Igbo cultural objects as valuable abroad but unacceptable at home. He said keeping bodies in mortuaries disrupts the natural return of the body to the earth and called on families to bury the dead promptly. He advised communities to separate burial from elaborate funeral celebrations, with private memorial events held later if desired.

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