The Afterlife Is Where We Come From By Alma Gotlieb

The ethnography The Afterlife Is Where We Come From by Alma Gotlieb (2004) explores the culture surrounding babies in the Beng village in West Africa. Gotlieb situates the Beng village at a place in the Ivory Coast that is somewhat in-between: it exists at the border of two different ethnic and geographic regions. The Beng people are forced to exist within a cultural membrane; allowing the practices of other cultures to flow in and out while containing their beliefs within the boundaries of the village. The geographic location of the Beng village inspires the Beng people to flexibly accommodate outside practices into their lives while maintaining their traditions and values. This ideology is reflected in their appropriation of Western medicine
In a Skype interview, Gotlieb spoke of her observations at the clinic. The Beng people were very willing to accept her medicine and did not view it as contradictory to the treatments proposed by the village healers, or diviners. In many cases, Gotlieb would recommend not only a Western prescription but a visit to the diviner or an animal sacrifice in addition to the medication. Once, a man asked Gotlieb what the “taboo” was for his prescribed medication. In the Beng culture, many of the practices had taboos and would invoke natural and spiritual consequences if disregarded. Gotlieb told the man that alcohol was taboo with many Western medications and he accepted this (Personal Interview, 2017). She found this easygoing mentality common in her patients, except in one specific case. Even though the women in the village had more children than they could take care of and wished to have no more children, they refused to engage in contraceptive methods (p. 291). While birth control was the limit at which the Beng people ceased to engage in non-traditional practices, they were typically willing to take Western medications because they offered quick, observable solutions. The clinic was one lens through which Gotlieb observed the Beng nature of incorporating outside practices
Those who converted to Islam or Christianity practiced their traditional religion while incorporating the new prayers and customs. The religions were not seen as mutually exclusive, rather, the addition of another religion enhanced the spiritual practice for many Beng people. This reflects the tolerant attitude of Beng culture, although it was not always supported within the village. Some families would make fun of their Protestant neighbors by singing the Christian prayers in a mocking tone (p.268). While they accepted the other’s decision to add another religion, they displayed their mild disdain in a friendly manner. The increasing popularity of conversion made it difficult for the native religion to take the same form as it had in the past. Gotlieb writes of the struggles religious leaders had in finding new Masters of the Earth because so many young men had become Christians or Muslims (p. 303). The impacts of new religions on the Beng culture were not always positive, but, in general, were integrated into the traditions and values of the village without upsetting the natural flow of