Ras Caleb Appiah-Levi Reflects on Death, Wealth and Equality: “Death Neither Knows Rich Nor Poor”

Ghanaian musician and PanAfrica-Ghana (PAG) founding president Ras Caleb Appiah-Levi has shared a reflective message on death, wealth, poverty and the importance of treating people with dignity, stressing that death ultimately makes everyone equal.

In a message titled “Death Neither Knows Rich Nor Poor,” Ras Caleb said the statement should not merely be regarded as a proverb but as a reality that applies to every human being, regardless of social or economic status.

According to him, his understanding of the equality of human beings in death began during his childhood when his late father, Cofie Essah Appiah of Boso-Gua (1903–1968), took him to a graveside.

He recalled how his father pointed to different graves and asked him to distinguish between a rich trader and a poor farmer buried there.

“See that mound? That was a rich trader. See that small one? That was a poor farmer. Now tell me, Caleb (Emmanuel-1st), which one is richer under the earth?”

Ras Caleb said he could not answer the question because, beneath the earth, both individuals had been made equal.

He argued that people often place too much importance on wealth, property, titles and social status while forgetting that none of these can be taken into the grave.

He noted that some people boast about owning multiple houses, expensive cars and large amounts of money, while others may believe that poverty somehow places them in a different position before death.

“Death does not check your bank account before it knocks,” he wrote, adding that death does not recognise titles such as Honourable, Chief, Doctor or President.

He further pointed out that death does not distinguish between people living in affluent neighbourhoods and those sleeping on the streets.

Using biblical references, Ras Caleb noted that both Pharaoh and Lazarus the beggar eventually died, illustrating what he described as the common destiny of all human beings.

He also drew from his experience with PanAfrica-Ghana (PAG) and its affiliates, saying the organisation had encountered people from different social and economic backgrounds.

“At PanAfrica-Ghana (PAG) and affiliates, we have honoured rich men, and we have honoured poor women who sell plantain. We have buried both,” he stated.

According to him, both the wealthy and the poor ultimately occupy the same amount of space in the grave.

“The same 6 feet,” he wrote, adding that there are occasions when a poor person receives more mourners than a wealthy individual.

Ras Caleb used the contrast between luxury during life and simplicity in death to drive home his message.

He observed that a wealthy person may build a large mansion equipped with air conditioning, but eventually sleeps in a coffin without such comforts.

Similarly, he said, a poor person who could not afford a hospital bed could eventually have what he described as a “free bed in the earth forever.”

The musician then questioned why people fight, steal and discriminate when death eventually renders such distinctions meaningless.

He asked:

• Why do people kill others over land they cannot take with them?
• Why do people steal government money that they cannot eat in the grave?
• Why do people look down on the poor when everyone is ultimately moving toward the same destination?

Ras Caleb also recalled advice from his father, saying: “Caleb (Emmanuel-1st), respect everybody, because you don’t know who will bury who.”

He used the example of a shoe-shine boy and a wealthy man travelling in a V8 vehicle to emphasise how circumstances can change.

“Today you see a shoe-shine boy. Tomorrow he may be the one to pour sand on your grave,” he wrote.

He added that a person’s expensive vehicle would eventually be parked when death comes, while the body would be transported in a hearse.

Ras Caleb therefore urged people to live humbly, regardless of their financial circumstances.

He encouraged wealthy people to use their resources to help others, while also advising the poor not to resent the rich, stressing that death eventually levels the distinction between them.

“If you are rich, be humble — use your riches to lift others, because death will not let you take even your watch,” he said.

“If you are poor, be humble — do not curse the rich, because death will level you both anyway.”

He also referenced the Bible’s Book of Job, recalling the words: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return.”

According to him, material possessions do not constitute a person’s lasting legacy because no one leaves the world with their house, car or other valuables.

“No one has ever died with his house in his mouth. No one has ever been buried with his Range Rover key,” he wrote.

Ras Caleb argued that what ultimately remains after a person’s death is the memory created through their actions and relationships.

He asked whether people would be remembered for loving, serving and forgiving others, suggesting that such qualities would matter more at a person’s funeral than their financial achievements.

Concluding his reflection, Ras Caleb said he tries to live each day as though it could be his last and to serve Africa with the same urgency.

“So I, Ras Caleb Appiah-Levi, live each day as if it is my last. I serve Africa as if tonight I will sleep and not wake,” he stated.

He warned that death is always close and urged people to embrace unity, humility and compassion while they are alive.

He ended with the message: “Death neither knows rich nor poor — so learn to live as one family before you die as one dust.”