We attended a funeral in a Sangmelima, town two or three hours south of
Yaounde, last weekend. Our friend Thiery invited us to come with him,
so we all took the bus there last Sunday, packed in on jumpseats in rows
built to hold four that had five people each. The funeral was for the
father of Thiery's work friend Emmanuel. "Papa Daniel" died three years
ago at age 82; it's common here to hold the interment immediately and
then have the funeral a year or more later. We arrived about noon and
waited an hour in Emmanuel's family home. Then we headed to a big hall
for food and speeches, attended by family and local dignitaries and
including a couple of hundred people. Then a procession through town to
the family house, where there was dancing. The deceased's portrait was
always around, carried by someone in the procession and the dances, and
his son proudly displayed his beer mug to remember him by. It was a
festive atmosphere celebrating his life. Even the clothing is special;
people often make clothes especially for an event like this, and often
several people will wear outfits made from matching fabric.
We wait at Emmanuel's house for things to get started. Note formal furniture in sitting room, photos of family on walls, beer in large bottles.
The hall where the speeches and meal took place.
One of the hosts at the ceremony. This garment, known as a bubu, goes down to his ankles, with matching pants under it, and is traditional Cameroonian clothing for men.
Dignitaries at the funeral. You can't see it, but the man in the foreground holds a green branch, an important symbol known as the "tree of the father."
More dignitaries. The man on the right is the president of a society the deceased belonged to.
More dignitaries. The man on the right also holds a branch.
The procession following the ceremony.
Emmanuel displays his father's mug in his memory, during the procession.
The dance after the procession, in front of the family home. The portrait of the deceased was carried in the procession and in the dancing as well.
More of the dance. You can see some of the matching clothing here.
Us at the dance. Emmanuel in the center, Thiery on the right. Thiery told us later we honored his family by coming to the funeral, because it showed the community he was an important man.
Another dance, after the first, closer to the house, smaller and more lively.
2 comments:
very interesting. I am particularly intrigued by how your attendance was perceived as an affirmation of the deceased's importance, and the frequent description of "dignitaries" at the service. These aren't things I normally think about with a funeral, unless the person was a major public figure.
I rather like the idea of having a funeral or a wake a year or two afterwards. It moves the event out of the midst of immediate grief, and allows for more celebration of life than most people are capable of right after a death.
I think every man needs a special garment with matching underpants!!
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