Ewurabena Quartey: Ghanaian Mortician Explains Why Workers Knock Before Entering the Mortuary

• Ewurabena Quartey, a manager at Jabez Dominic Funeral Home, revealed that knocking before entering the mortuary is a deliberate act of respect
• The mortician explained that workers sometimes speak to the deceased and ask for permission before touching, bathing, or embalming a body
• Quartey compared the practice to last offices carried out by nurses and health practitioners in hospitals when a patient dies

Most people knock on a door out of habit or courtesy, but for morticians at Jabez Dominic Funeral Home, the gesture carries a much deeper meaning.

Ewurabena Quartey, a manager at the funeral home, opened up about the practice during an interview with Roselyn Feli, shedding light on the unwritten codes of conduct that govern how her team treats the deceased.

Why do morticians knock at the mortuary door

For Quartey, knocking before entering the mortuary is a straightforward extension of basic human dignity.

"Knocking is just like entering somebody's room. If you are entering, you just have to make a signal, something to make them aware that somebody's at the door, entering, and we are maintaining respect. The fact that they are dead doesn't mean that respect has to end, no," she explained.

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That same ethos, she said, carries through the entire preparation process. Before morticians begin bathing or embalming a body, they speak directly to the deceased, requesting permission even though no answer will come. "We take it as if we are caring for them. You see, we have people aged, especially being bedridden; picture it in that way. When we are touching that person, you would ask for permission before you touch them, though we are not going to get any particular response," Quartey said.

She drew a parallel to a practice familiar in healthcare settings. "Before we do the embalming or the bathing, we ask them for permission. So, there's something called last offices when you work in the hospital. So, nurses and health practitioners are aware of this. They do it for anybody who passes on in their facilities," she added.

The YouTube video is below:

Female mortician talks about respecting privacy in death

Quartey also touched on a more private dimension of mortuary work: the exposure of a person's body and private features. Morticians, she noted, often encounter scars, deformities, and physical details that the deceased would never have willingly revealed in life. The verbal acknowledgement before beginning work serves as a reminder that what is seen in the mortuary stays there.

"You just have to speak to the person, make the person understand that you are going to see the nakedness of the person because you are going to strip them totally open. You just say something simple in your head. I'm coming to see something I'm not supposed to see," she said.

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She described the moment as the formation of a quiet bond between the worker and the person in their care.

"Some of them come with deformities, scars you are not supposed to see. Yes, so coming to see all those things, you are making sure that whatever you see stays there, so something like a bond you are coming to have with them," Quartey added.

Kate Henshaw attends Olu Jacobs' funeral

Earlier, YEN.com.gh wrote about highlighted facts about Kate Henshaw’s hands-on role at Olu Jacobs’ funeral, as described by content creator Kunle of Lagos. He said she helped coordinate the events and welcomed guests at both the Night of Tributes and the burial.

The tribute video sparked mixed reactions, with some viewers praising Henshaw’s dedication and others questioning why it was filmed. Kunle suggested her efforts were a personal way to show gratitude to Jacobs.

Source: YEN.com.gh