The funeral rites for the late highlife legend Charles Kwadwo Fosu, popularly known as Daddy Lumba, are set to move forward after the Kumasi High Court dismissed an interlocutory injunction application filed by his wife, Akosua Serwaa.
The court’s ruling, delivered by Presiding Judge Dorinda Smith Arthur, affirmed the family’s authority over the deceased under Ghanaian customary law. The judge concluded that restraining the family would not benefit them or the public.
Following the ruling, the family’s lawyer clarified the immediate next steps, emphasizing that the decision on who will perform the widowhood rites now lies entirely with Daddy Lumba’s family.
“That is a decision that the family will make. But like I said, that is a determination that the court has declined to make a pronouncement on. It is the family, led by Abusuapayin, who will decide as to who will perform the widowhood rights,” the lawyer told newsmen
Akosua Serwaa had sought to halt the final funeral rites until certain unresolved matters were addressed. However, the court’s decision shows the the primacy of the deceased’s family in funeral arrangements according to local tradition.
The statement from the family’s lawyer makes it clear that with the court having declined to intervene in the matter of the rites, the decision-making power has reverted fully to the family structure.
The Abusuapayin (head of the family) is expected to lead the process of determining who will conduct the traditional widowhood rites.
The dismissal paves the way for the family to finalize and announce the schedule for the final funeral rites of the beloved musician, who passed away recently.
