(( kumbukani ))
09 March 09 - 09:37
Kumbukani A.K.A Edward
Wednesday 25th February
Today unfortunately kumbukani’s mum passed away
Kumbu is a very close friend of mine and is one of the group that we all hang out together, so today I went to his house to pay my respects, never having actually attended a funeral service in Malawi it was quite different, friends and relatives of the family and the deceased keep vigil outside the house all night and day until the funeral and they sing old folk songs and songs of mourning, its beautiful and it was strange being apart of it as well, the funeral was on Friday so Wednesday and Thursday they kept vigil outside the house.
On Friday 27th February it was the funeral and it started about lunch time, it started at the house were they sang and said prayers and poems then chrispin grabbed me and said we had to form a line now I had told chrispin to tell me to do anything so that I didn’t act disrespectful or anything, so when he said this I did as I was told and I thought we were forming a protective barrier or something around the grieving family I couldn’t see what was happening up ahead and then all of a sudden there was a coffin in my hands , it was a bit of a shock I can tell you, I kicked chrispin afterward, everybody forms a line and the coffin is passed along to the truck and then the woman get in the truck with the coffin and we walk in front of the truck to the cemetery. At the cemetery its typical African bush/woodland and everybody spread out between the graves and trees and it was moving no other word they were singing an old afdrican song and it was so beautiful.
During the rest of the service kumbu had to get up and say goodbye to his mum and he has been really strong the past few days, informing relatives and looking after his brothers and sisters, seeing to people come to pay there respects and then obviously it all came to a head and he completely broke down on the graveside and my heart just went out to him because he is good man,
