In many African cultures, including the Ashanti tribe of Ghana, to which my father belonged, and the Chagga tribe of Tanzania, to which my stepmother belonged, it is believed that, after death, one is rewarded for living a good life by being made an ancestor. If a person is not properly mourned, it may be taken as a sign that he did not do enough to gain the love and respect of those around him. In this case, the dead person may become a ghost who will likely torment the living. There is no greater insult than to have your death ignored.
