The late Charles Obong, a senior Ugandan civil servant, has caused a stir in Uganda after the large sum of cash that he was buried with as he had requested in his will, was stolen. The 52-year-old senior personnel officer at the Ministry of Public Service reportedly instructed his wife, Margaret Obong, to deposit huge sums of money in his coffin incrementally, so that he could bribe God for his earthly sins, according to the Daily Monitor.
Obong died on December 17th after a long illness and was laid to rest at his rural home in Adagani village, Lira District, on Christmas Eve.
The instructions of his will were violated last Saturday after his remains were exhumed and $5,700 recovered.
Obong allegedly saved more than $550,000, which he intended to bury in the $5,500 metallic coffin.
“The money has disappeared and we are holding a meeting in Apac District early next week to iron out the matter,” a close relative of the deceased said.
Appeasing God in Africa
For a long time, Africans have practiced the tradition of offering sacrifices to God and their ancestral spirits.
The sacrifices come in different forms depending on the type God or spirit the people wish to appease. However, the most common sacrifice is the animal sacrifice, where an animal – mainly an unblemished sheep – is slaughtered and its body parts offered to the gods in a ritualistic event.
Nevertheless, many African Christians have recently adopted new ways of appeasing God, such as offering money upon death.
In ancient Egypt, kings were buried with expensive treasures, including valuables they owned during life, jewelry, and other items designed to demonstrate high social standing.
Ancient Egyptians believed in the afterlife and wealthy people assembled important items to help them live a luxurious lifestyle in the second life.
However, it is still a new phenomenon and somewhat wasteful to many Africans for someone to be buried with millions in cash.
