Living with the dead

Stranger than Fiction
Tendai Chara 

PEOPLE often avoid talking about death because it reminds them of their own mortality.

In many cultures, death is still a taboo subject that most people avoid discussing.

However, some communities in Zimbabwe bury their dear departed on their homesteads, constantly reminding themselves of their own impending demise.

Whilst traditionally it is normal for some families to bury family members closer to their homes, in some cultures this is not permissible.

In Zimbabwe, most rural communities prefer to bury the dead in family or community graveyards that are usually located in an area that is a bit far from homesteads.

Villagers often avoid passing through the graveyards at night for fear of coming into contact with the dreaded ghosts.

But, in a development that shocked many, a retired Anglican cleric, Reverend Lazarus Muyami, shocked the Gokwe community when he buried his wife inside the church at a school he owned. This caused a stir in this community which is synonymous with the bizarre and unthinkable.

Yet, what was viewed as weird in Gokwe might not be seen as such in areas like Chihota in Mashonaland East, where family members can be buried on the doorstep. Also, for villagers living in most parts of Masvingo, family members are buried on or along the edges of the homesteads.

For them, it is perfectly normal to come across a family member taking a nap whilst perched on a relative’s grave.

In such communities, children are even allowed to play games on graves. It appears these communities have demystified death.

And some urban residents in Zimbabwe are now being forced to live among the dead by circumstances beyond their control. In most urban areas in Zimbabwe, there has been an increase in the number of people whose houses are built close to cemeteries.

Harare’s Granville Cemetery, popularly known as Kumbudzi, is surrounded by illegal settlements. Some residents of Hopley and Amsterdam suburbs are also living with the dead as their houses are a few metres from the cemetery.