Agatha Ijeoma Onwuekwe

In all communities of the world, death is a regular occurrence. As Caesar in Shakespeare's play said: “…death, a necessary end will come when it will come.” Ekwulobia town provides no exception to this natural phenomenon. Women sing and dance during funerals to console the bereaved. It is a period of grief for all. Funerals call for serious reflection. A lot of lessons are learned from funeral songs. Unfortunately, this valuable cultural heritage appears to be disappearing gradually as a result of the influence of Christianity on the beliefs, norms, and values of people in Ekwulobia. The present generation appears to have adopted an attitude of nonchalance towards these songs. It is feared that if this continues, a very important musical heritage will be lost. This project collects, notates, and analyzes the funeral songs, and in doing so preserves them for posterity.