African Funeral

Martha's mother recently passed away and she asked that I take photos during the funeral. It was an incredible experience for us to be part of this day with them and I hope that you will see the same beauty in the event that I did.

The service started at 7 am and was held in a tent just outside Martha's mom's home. The tent was literally in the narrow street of the village and cars were unable to pass through.

We arrived and sat in the back, the only white faces in the room and probably the surrounding village as well. Within just a few minutes we were moved to the front between the minister and casket.

The family members were able to share their heart about their loved one.

Fifteen of the children at Martha's House made up the choir and sang throughout the day. They did a wonderful job and it was clear they were all struggling to stay strong for Martha.

Two of our teens read aloud the cards that came with the flowers.

The minister preached a short message at the tent.

The women in the blue dresses are close friends of Martha or her mother. They held candles and stood around the casket the hour in the tent. It was one of these women that moved us to the front of the room to sit by the minister.

These women also acted as pallbearers in carrying the casket the short distance from the tent to the waiting hearse.

At the graveside we all walked in solemnly and the men carried the casket to the grave where it was lowered into the ground. Women must cover their heads and wear skirts if they want to go into the cemetery.

Immediately all the finery around the gravesite was removed and the men began to cover the casket with dirt.

The men, especially those closest to the family took part in shoveling the dirt back into the grave. The process took about 45 minutes and the women continued to sing throughout that time. This was a very moving experience for me.

As the hole was filled half way a layer of cement was laid so that people can not rob the grave and or have access to the body.

When the men were finished covering the grave, the women laid all the flowers on top and walked single file around and continue to sing.

Different people spoke on behalf of the family. The minister preached another short sermon and a local man spoke for the community. This council man thanked us for attending as 'white' friends of the family and said that music comes from a piano while playing with both black and white keys. Then he told a joke about how long African funerals are. They are typically all day events, but this one was only 4 hours.

When the graveside service was over everyone went back to the tent for lunch.

Martha was not at the graveside service and neither was her sister. They remained behind at the house to prepare the lunch. There must be enough food for all the guest and anyone in the community who comes to visit. This is very important in honoring the family member and Martha did a wonderful job.

We stayed to help clean up the dishes and food and took a few pictures of Martha and her family.

This day was hard on the family but they honored their mother with a beautiful ceremony and the words "Modimo (God), lerato (love), Christo (Christ), lebone (light)" were spoken again and again and again.

Lillie was a treasured mother, grandmother, and friend and will be greatly missed!