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May 22, 2004, Zulu Celebrations, by Tim
It's a beautiful Saturday here in South Africa and I'm reflecting on two celebrations I was invited to attend: a funeral and a wedding.
Buddhism encourages children to become aware of death at a very young age. In Ndawana, young children also become very aware of death because people die so very often.
This story begins April 4th when I was in the village filming sick people for the Edzimkulu video. While very difficult, filming the sick was important to show an accurate picture of village life because, in Ndawana, sickness and death are as common as weekends and blue sky. Zanele approached several friends and relatives who were sick and explained the purpose of the video. They agreed to be filmed because they understood the intentions and purpose of the video and the help for the community that could result.
It was election day and we met Zanele’s cousin in the line up at the polls. She was very weak. Zanele took her to the authorities and asked if she could bypass the line. They agreed and after she voted we drove her home and spent some time. She passed away last week. Her funeral was today.
Monday, May 5th we had our weekly team meeting in the village. Khali asked if we would drive him to the other side of the village to visit his sick Uncle. We all sat with his Uncle and family members to pay our respect. It was clear that he would be with us for only a short time. He died the following day. The cause of death noted on the death certificate was “natural causes,” yet it was clear that Mike was another victim of AIDS.
Last Saturday we were invited to the funeral of Mike. In Ndawana, funerals are held at the homestead of the deceased. They rent a big tent and set up church. While driving through the village to get to the funeral we saw three other tents. And when we met Busisiwe on the road, she asks if we could give her a lift to a village 10 kms away to attend yet another funeral.
A Zulu funeral is truly a celebration. Long before the service begins there is much singing and all the ladies are dressed in white, not black. There are big pots of food cooking on a fire for the feast that follows. The service begins when a simply built coffin is carried from a room of the mud house and placed on two stands. The immediate family members sit on a mattress in front of the coffin (perhaps the mattress where Mike laid while breathing his last breaths). Others sit on chairs and benches in the shade of the tent. The preacher greets everyone and the service begins. Khali translates occasionally which suggests there is much talk about God and the mystery of life. People grieve.
Partway through the service several music groups perform to pay their respects. Mike was very active in the music of Ndawana and it turns out he was the leader of a group that I had seen just a month ago. The music is wonderful and the expression of gratitude and sympathy is sincere and transparent. Throughout the service, people place envelopes of support on the coffin. Each has a short message or a name written on it. Mike was the main income earner and now his wife and children will struggle even more. Khali invites me and Phelelani to stand by him as he reads each message. I read a message of support from Edzimkulu.
Following the service, the coffin is processed to the cemetery. We drive two gogos (grandmothers) who are too weak to walk. There are several cemeteries in the village. Rows of graves are separated with barbwire fences. Most graves have a simple cross.
The celebration, for us, ends with a meal. But a power generator and lights suggest that the gathering will continue well into the night.
Two weeks ago I was invited to video record the wedding of a staff member at Reichenau, the Catholic mission nearby. (I’m gaining a reputation as “the guy from Canada with a video recorder.”) The ceremony was familiar (although in Zulu), but the community spirit was unlike a typical wedding back home. But first, a few details for the fashion enthusiasts. The groom wore a suit, perhaps his best digs. The bride wore the customary wedding dress. The groomsmen in suites and the bridesmaids in matching dresses.
There was much singing throughout the service. By the entire congregation. Dancing and stomping to the beat would often have the church structure oscillating as though it was an instrument itself. Way cool. The traditional exchanging of vows and rings was a (i.e. the only) quite time, and of course the bride struggled a bit to get the groom’s ring on. The service ended with community members approaching to express their exuberant wishes. Even as everyone left the church, the singing and dancing continued.
Unfortunately I was short on time so I did not attend the reception. Jim and Chris report that the food was tasty and the company joyous.
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