Choice of the date of the ceremonies of the late King Gandjegni Awoyo of Savalou : Parents denounce their exclusion

The elder brother of the late King of Savalou, Gandjegni Awoyo Gbaguidi XIII stepped up to denounce the exclusion of the biological family in the choice of the date of the funeral.

In Savalou, the funeral of the late King Gandjegni Awoyo Gbaguidi XIII has lead in the wing. While the date of 11 June 2022 was chosen by some for the start of the funeral of the deceased king, the biological family of the deceased opposes it. Hubert Gbaguidi, eldest brother of the deceased king of Savalou came out of silence to denounce what is happening within the great Gbaguidi family.

"Things are happening in my family that I don't like", he lets go. And he decided to make this outing so that "all the Gbaguidi children of the four lineages, both inside and outside, can" hear and understand what is going to happen at the level of the big family..

He protests against "the brutality with which people want to force the ceremonies of the deceased king". Hubert Gbaguidi believes that the choice of the date of the funeral of the late king should be made in collaboration with his biological family. More, at the level of the large family, It was not the case. “We are twisting history”, he specifies. This date was chosen "without associating us, brothers and sisters of the late dada Gandjêgni, neither his children nor his wives”. This, because some want to rush the entrance of someone of their choice. They have already introduced.

“The case made noise and landed in court. The case is still pending in court.. Despite this, they are forcing to be able to do the ceremonies of the deceased king and install their choice. Which is not to the liking of part of the lineage which should in principle designate the next king”, relate Hubert Gbaguidi. “We told them that the rest of us are not ready yet”, he indicated. It informs that a fabric was even printed without consulting the family, the wives and children of the late king.

A major obstacle

Apart from the fact that the case is pending before the courts, there is another obstacle. It is an obstacle to the holding of the ceremonies of the deceased king. The elder brother of the late Gandjegni Awoyo informs that there is the current situation at the level of the Djetto clan. "It is this clan that brings the tam-tam called ''Gbéhoun'' for the ceremonies of the deceased king at the level of the kingdom", he confides. He notes that he cannot do so without the authorization of the clan chief. More, " currently, this clan has lost its chief and as long as they do not finish the ceremonies of the deceased chief and do not proceed to the designation of a new chief, the tom-tom in question cannot come out”. The ceremonies of the late head of the Djetto clan begin from the 3 September 2022. According to Hubert Gbaguidi, these ceremonies last at least forty-five days.

A Divided Line

In reality, Hubert Gbaguidi thinks that some have already made their choice and want to impose it. He notes that in line with where the next king should be appointed, there are two clans today. The clan that has already made its choice is doing its deception. The other clan “said no, it can't happen".

The designation procedure

Regarding the normal procedure for appointing the new king, the sage indicates that it “is simple”. He explains that when the king dies, it is necessary to install a regency. A son tour, the regency has an office quickly set up which launches the call for candidates. As soon as it receives the applications, the office meets to study the files and choose by consensus a pretender to the throne. After that, there are the ceremonies of the deceased king which must be able to begin. Because the suitor chosen by the office must take part in the first ceremonies of the deceased king. It is after the ceremonies of the late king that the enthronement of the new king takes place.

Edmond HOUESSIKINDE