The Sunday Mail
Fatima Bulla
IN the richness of the African culture lies the yet to be understood belief of the power wielded by the dead.
It is common humane practice to follow through wishes of the dead in honour of their life.
While there exist a general high regard for the wishes of the deceased to be fulfilled as seen even in the modern world with will-writing, there is a thin line when it comes to African culture where tradition has to be followed regardless of the deceased’s wishes.
One of the major choices that is adhered to in respect of the dead in an African cultural setup is where they desire to be buried.
The wish is respected so much that honorary acclaims like national hero status which entitle one to be interred at national shrines are overlooked.
A recent case in point is that of the late music legend, Dr Oliver Mtukudzi who before his death had told close relatives that he preferred being buried in Madziwa, his rural home.
The family had to respect Dr Mtukudzi wishes despite the music icon being declared a National Hero. National Hero status is the highest honour bestowed on an citizen in Zimbabwe and such individuals are buried at the National Heroes Acre — a revered national shrine located at a hilly place 7 kilometres from central Harare towards Norton. A similar case that easily come to mind is that of an academic stalwart and founding National University of Science and Technology vice-chancellor, Professor Phineas Makhurane who was buried in the Gungwe area of Gwanda as relatives respected his wishes to be interred close to his ‘ancestors’.
He had been conferred with the national hero status as well. Another case in point is that of the late former Matebeleland North provincial governor, Welshman Mabhena who was buried at Lady Stanley Cemetery in fulfilment of his wishes despite being conferred with the national hero status.
In such instances does the African culture uphold the deceased wishes for fear of a backlash in the form of stranger than fiction events that belong in the world of the paranormal?
Reflecting on the power that the dead wield among the living, Chief Donald Kamba of the Makoni chieftaincy said such choices are done in sync with cherished customs and traditions relevant to the African narrative that seeks to make peace between the living and the departed.
He said there were instances when wishes of the deceased were overridden and stranger than fiction happenings occurred. This, he said was ample demonstration that shows that only the will of the departed matters above everything else.
“Even a brand new car would fail to start or experience breakdowns along the way. In that case, with extreme reverence and apology, the departed would be asked to forgive the living for acting in bad taste and assure him that his will would prevail from that point on.
“Once that is done, the vehicle carrying the deceased would start without any problem and no breakdowns would be experienced as he would be heading to a place of his choice.
“The adage ‘hakufiwi, kunorarwa’, meaning ‘the flesh is asleep and the spirit is awake’ aptly summarises the deep respect accorded the departed,” Chief Kamba said.
Chief Kamba said there are instances that occur during body viewing when the deceased appears to grin or the room in which the body is lying in state suddenly darkens when a person responsible for the death of the deceased views the body.
“If a wrangle among relatives ensues with regard to the will of the deceased and a decision is made in contravention of that will, some relatives and friends will abort the journey because incidents are galore where accidents happen along the way with some ugly enough to result in death. It is also not unusual that even if the journey proceeds with no incident, grave diggers will experience torrid times when either any place chosen to dig the grave is too hard to penetrate or waterlogged. All these are signs of protest by the deceased.”
