Photo Credit:Ap Arron Ufumeli
The festive season in Zimbabwe heralds a unique marriage of solemn respect for the dead with holiday cheer. As extended families gather to honor their dear departed, the unveiling of tombstones takes center stage, especially during the long holidays like Christmas.
Chipo Benhure, like many Zimbabweans, began saving early for this special occasion. Instead of planning a party or vacation, she set aside money to honor her late mother with a tombstone unveiling. This generations-old rite is deeply rooted in Zimbabwean culture, where the weakened economy often makes it challenging for families to fulfill their duty of honoring the dead.
Household yards and open spaces in urban areas become makeshift tombstone- manufacturing zones. The workers use grinders and stone polishers to make tombstones, at times carving detailed portraits from photographs provided by the loved ones. The prices of tombstones range from $150 to $2,500, with some families paying in installments.
Tombstone provider Tafadzwa Machokoto, a computer science graduate, has turned this tradition into a booming business. He employs nearly ten people to meet the high demand during the holiday season. Machokoto shared a story of a businessman who ordered 11 tombstones after dreaming of his late father urging him to spruce up the family cemetery. Following the ceremony, the businessman’s business flourished, and he even gifted Machokoto a smartphone as a token of gratitude.
The services themselves often are jubilant affairs of song, dance, Christian prayers, and invitational Christian prayers for ancestors to watch over and protect the living. Most view these events as a way of gaining blessings, although others believe their absence may induce a hex. Prior to the unveiling, graves usually are marked with a simple metal sign, or nothing at all.
In the suburb of Harare, several graves at Zororo Memorial Park had been covered in white cloth, ready for unveiling ceremonies. The family of the late Kindness Ziwange spent more than $2,000 for the ceremony, including $900 for the tombstone. After the ceremony, close to 50 relatives, friends, and neighbors celebrated with a feast of fried potatoes, rice, grilled chicken, stewed beef, and vegetable salad.
Where for many others this is an indigenous ritual pertaining to ancestral cults, most people view the unveiling as a Christian event to honour their dead relatives. Says Ezra Chitando: Many Zimbabweans combine their commitment to Christianity with traditional interests.
Many Zimbabweans, however, still make sure to accord the dead their due respect despite the economic hardships. Chipo Benhure, who has finally managed to install tombstones for her mother, says honoring the dead brings blessings to the living irrespective of one’s religion.
This unique tradition shows how Zimbabweans, in all their resolute ways and cultural richness, find a way to celebrate and remember loved ones even in difficult times.
