adminChristopher Charamba
Death is a natural result of life and a taboo topic for most due to the mystery of when and how one will die and what will become of them in the afterlife.Despite this, death remains an inevitable outcome of our existence.
Different cultures and religions have various practices and beliefs concerning death and the dead.
The Catholics for example, believe in praying for the dead in order for them to receive salvation for their earthly sins from God. A practice first observed in II Maccabees 12:39-45. African cultures too have different customs with regards to the departed.
In the Shona culture, there is the belief that the dead become ancestors (vadzimu). These ancestors look after the well-being of the family and act as an intermediary between the living and the creator. Some might argue this is similar to the Catholics representation of Saints.
For one to become an ancestor, they must have lived an exemplary life and received a proper burial with all the appropriate rites and rituals performed, including what is known as kurova guva, a ceremony held to welcome back the spirit of the dead relative which is believed to be wandering.
Time magazine named “The Ebola Fighters” as their “Person of the Year”. Explaining the choice in the final issue of the magazine for 2014, Nancy Gibbs writes that “for tireless acts of courage and mercy, for buying the world time to boost its defences, for risking, for persisting, for sacrificing and saving, the Ebola fighters are TIME’s 2014 “Person of the Year.”
Ebola sent the world into a panic in 2014. The outbreak which was concentrated in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, saw isolated cases in Nigeria, Spain and the USA. The fear of exposure saw some countries issuing travel bans to and from West Africa, increased security and checks at international borders and even quarantine for citizens returning from infected areas.
Ebola is an extremely contagious virus and due to a delayed response from both local and international authorities, it managed to turn into an epidemic. Statistics show that there have been more than 17 800 Ebola infections with over 6 300 deaths. A crisis that presents itself with death resulting from Ebola stems from the burying the deceased. Studies show that the virus is most infectious in the days following death as the virus contained in the bodily fluids seeps through the deceased’s pores. Subsequently, touching a person who has died of Ebola puts one at high risk of infection.
In West Africa, the problem that health-care professionals have faced is that family members wish to bury their dead according to their cultural and customary practices. Many of these practices involve touching the body, washing it, and preparing it for burial. Also before the body is laid to rest, relatives wish to view the body to pass on their final respects.
In Liberia, the Red Cross has made provisions to get people to stop touching dead bodies. The health professionals there have taken the responsibility of burying the dead, disinfecting the bodies with spray and bleach multiple times and placing them in body bags before lowering them into the ground.
Reports from Liberia, however, show that despite warnings through the radio, print media and from health-care workers, many Liberians still insist on burying their own with some adamantly stating that their relatives had not died from Ebola.
The Ebola epidemic is a distant one to us here in Zimbabwe. This, however, does not mean we do not have our own health concerns relatable to those in West Africa.
A couple of weeks ago, the Minister of Health and Child Dr David Parirenyatwa advised Zimbabweans to be on high alert for cholera due to the high amount of rainfall. The rain which ushered us into the New Year has already caused floods and displaced people in Mashonaland Central.
Poor drainage systems and lack of proper sanitation and failed water infrastructure put the public at the risk of contracting cholera.
Similar to Ebola, health-care professionals warn against coming into contact with those who have passed away from Cholera as they put themselves at risk of infection.
Prevention is better than a cure and as such the onus is on the Ministry of Health and Child Care to educate citizens on the dangers of cholera and how contracting the disease can be avoided.
The ministry in 2013 issued a document titled “Zimbabwe Cholera Control Guide” however a visit to their website shows it unavailable for download despite being listed as available.
The ministry must also prepare adequately in the unwelcome event of a cholera outbreak.
A lack of preparation and delayed responses contributed to the spread of Ebola in the West African countries. It does however remain imperative to increase awareness about the risks people face particularly when exercising cultural practices.
Culture forms a massive part of our identity and performing cultural practices brings us to understand and experience it.
We do however need to participate in safe cultural practices that do not put ourselves or others at any form of risk.
Online Reporter