In a recent conversation in which I was involved, the topic of burial practices came up. I mentioned that it was only fair to your loved ones to be able to afford your own funeral or opt for cremation. Well, that opened a can of worms!
Now, I’m Nigerian by heritage, Ghanaian by birth and British by nationality- if that makes any sense. Anyhow, I’ve observed burial practices over the years and noticed that Africans and Afro-carribeans (in general) , find the idea of cremation anathema.
Factors influencing cremation rates globally include religion and culture. For example, the cremation rate in Muslim, Eastern Orthodox, and Roman Catholic majority countries is much lower due to religious sanctions on cremation, whereas for Hindu or Buddhist majority countries the cremation rate is much higher. (Wikipedia)
So, in this debate, it came to light that a funeral home in St Kitts and Naevis were experiencing problems with slow traffic for their cremation services. Nobody was buying the idea.
Christians, I felt, were hesitant because of the following bible verse:
1 Thessalonians 4:16
“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.”
Ergo, no one wanted that trumpet to go off and find that they were molecules scattered over a field – or long-since eaten by fish! This religious image is seared into the consciousness of Christians against the idea.
I argued that the facts were simple; cremation was cheaper and besides, wouldn’t God be powerful enough to put you together? Anyway, I further reasoned, it would be your spirit – otherwise the ghoulish image wouldn’t bear thinking about!
I was quick to point out – to the proponents of the burial argument- that African burials always left loved ones with a heavy financial burden.
I can only speak for Nigeria, where burials can reach 6-figure sums. Here, it is considered an ‘honour’ to be able to send your loved one off ‘well’. From the wake to the funeral, bills for drink and food can easily spiral out of control, with different family, extended family and the town’s-folk expecting to partake of this ‘celebration of life’. It would be considered a ‘disgrace’ to have a low-budget funeral. And yet, it’s uncommon for the deceased to have left enough-if any money to foot the bill.
In the UK, burials can also cost thousands of pounds compared to the far cheaper practice of cremation.
If I asked my older relatives to invest in a funeral plan, they’d balk at the idea. Death is simply not a topic anyone wants to think of.
So here I am, shopping around for the best funeral plan in the UK. I can’t imagine why I would want to burden my kids with such a bill.
On the idea of cremation, I’m afraid I’ve chickened out – I’ve been swayed! I may not be the best Christian in town, but come the blowing of ANY trumpet, I’d like to be able to high-tail it out of my grave- worms, bones and all!
©Vivian Zems
November 13, 2017 at 5:18 am
Oooooh excellent piece and what a delightful generic makeup you have, most interesting indeed
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November 13, 2017 at 11:41 am
Thank you!
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November 13, 2017 at 6:56 am
I have these past two days read articles about death and dying. I have told my kids I want to be cremated for one good reason. When I visit cemeteries these days there are so many graves long forgotten and gone to ruin. I don’t want to end up like that. I think we mean something to our next of kin, to others we were most likely someone they knew. Therefore my kids and Gkids who know me can remember me as a photo on the mantlepiece. The other article I read is this one:
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/nov/11/thomas-keneally-death-is-not-the-fly-in-the-cosmic-ointment-it-is-the-cosmic-ointment
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November 13, 2017 at 11:39 am
A wonderful comment and an amazing article there. Thank you!😊
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November 13, 2017 at 7:31 am
wow – this is so powerful, touching, precise message, great example!
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November 13, 2017 at 11:27 am
Thanks for stopping by! 😊
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November 13, 2017 at 11:00 am
I will be cremated… ashes to ashes, dust to dust. I’m confident that when the trumpet call comes, it will be my spirit, not my body, that will rise. 🙂
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November 13, 2017 at 11:26 am
Are you really sure you don’t need your body…I’m not so sure. I need spiritual guidance 😊😨
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November 13, 2017 at 11:28 am
I’m sure 🙂
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November 13, 2017 at 11:43 am
Ok…I’m still thinking 😮
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November 15, 2017 at 8:53 pm
Nigerian by heritage, British by birth, American by nationality. I can relate! But I hear you on this debate. I want to be cremated and have my ashes spread over the ocean. That way I will always be in the “hearts and minds” of people who love me. I’m sure there will be a couple. Ha! They won’t need to worry that they can’t always get to any grave… or that it’s unkempt after 5 years, or that it’s vandalized, or that a building or a refuse dump is built on it.
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November 15, 2017 at 10:18 pm
Good one Chike- I hear you. Nice to see you here, my friend😊
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