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Trust Khosa–Senior Lifestyle Reporter

Washington Muzondo

Handling dead people’s bodies from the morgue to the cemetery is easier said than done.

Globally, bereaved families’ traditional beliefs and customs are religiously followed during these trying times.

There is also a general belief that the dead are sensitive as they communicate spiritually.

Whether their bodies were found in the last stages of decomposition, disfigured, or dismembered, due care should always be taken before they can be laid to rest.

This is meant to give the departed a dignified send-off and ensure their souls rest in peace.

In some cases, private burials, limited to a handful, are usually carried out.

Again, this is also done to please the wishes of the departed whether they died peacefully or disgruntled.

Processes involving dressing of the dead to embalming and cremation are also done in line with the departed people’s traditional beliefs.

Some people indicate the best way they want their burials is to be conducted when they are alive.

Others indicate where they want their remains interred before their departure.

In Zimbabwe and many African nations there is general belief among people and undertakers handling funerals regularly that the dead can communicate,

One such undertaker is Desire Muloyiwa of Claremont Funeral Services, who claims he can communicate with the dead and understands their demands.

As strange as it may sound, Muloyiwa claims he has mastered the art of speaking to the dead in his line of trade as an undertaker.

Does Muloyiwa use mediumship, necromancy, or séance to talk to the dead?

Mediumship is the practice of communicating with spirits of the dead or other non-physical entities and that is normally practised by spirit mediums, while necromancy is the practice of magic involving communication with the dead by summoning their spirits as apparitions or visions for the purpose of divination.

On the other hand, there is séance, a meeting at which people attempt to make contact with the dead, especially through the agency of a medium.

“I have been in this trade since 2009 when I left Harare for the UK where I also worked in a funeral services company.

“I got on-the-job training both locally and abroad and that is when I mastered this art of talking to the dead.

“The dead can hear and they do not even want to be referred to as corpses,” said Muloyiwa.

“Dead people in the morgue can be sensitive if you do not ask them how you want to dress them.

“In my case, I make sure that I do a silent prayer that helps me to dress the dead before touching their body.

“When I encounter some challenges, I can even go to a private room and do a silent prayer and the results are desirable.”

Muloyiwa, who was born a Catholic, added: “My other advice to people handling the dead is that they should not steal from them.

“There are some people who die with valuables like money, gold rings and chains as they were taken to the mortuary.

“Stealing from these people brings about a lot of misfortunes.

“The dead people know their valuables and that is the reason we always invite relatives of the departed to come and take away the valuables.”

Similar sentiments were echoed by Washington Muzondo of Zonyik Funeral Services in Harare who claimed the dead can communicate.

“For the past 14 years as an undertaker in my life, I have presided over flawless and complicated funerals.

“In one of the funerals, we had a breakdown along the way only to be told the dead wanted to be buried in Murombedzi and not Gokwe.

“We had to get another car and proceeded to Gokwe.

“In life, never underestimate the power of traditional beliefs because they do exist. If you believe that a tree can give you food, it happens,” said Muzondo.

The seasoned undertaker conceded traditional beliefs should be followed.

“As Zimbabweans, we should not hide from our culture because it shapes us and determines our way of thinking.

“I have witnessed funerals where elders or close family members demand their privacy to talk to the dead before we can do our job.”

Another undertaker from Fidelity Life Assurance who preferred anonymity due to protocol, said: “These cultural beliefs do exist but it’s up to us to take it or dismiss it.

“Some of these things you can only believe once you experience the circumstances.

“It’s quite sad that people will always try to run away from their culture but these things do exist.

“We should always respect our culture and religiously follow it.”

Traditionalist and social commentator, Gogo Alice Kwenda, weighed into the debate insisting the dead are sensitive.

“The dead are equally as sensitive as their beloved ones who are still alive.

“Traditional beliefs should always be carried from the scene of death to the burial site.

“If one was killed in an accident, I urge people to take the blood and soil from the accident scene to ensure that the place does not become a black spot.

“We always encourage relatives of the deceased to put all these things into perspective because these practices are very key,” she said.

Gogo Kwenda added that the dressing of the dead should be done with the blessings of the deceased family members.

“You cannot touch the body of the dead without their relatives’ consent.

“It has some consequences which should never be overlooked in life.”

Fellow traditionalist and social commentator, Gogo Memory Chinhengo, believes the dead can talk with the living spiritually.

“The spiritual world has serious connections with the living souls.  Our traditional beliefs should never be underestimated as the dead are part of us.

“We can never run away from that because there is a serious connection,” she said.

Gogo Chinhengo reckons the dead can determine the living souls’ fate.

“There are some wars that we fight and still do know who fought and won on our behalf.

“In death, the same applies because we have a connection. Funerals should never be separated from our cultural beliefs and we need to respect what the dead have in store for us.”

There are however some people in other cultures who believe talking to the dead is real.

Research has also shown that seeing or sensing the dead is actually a way of communicating with the dead.

In other cases, people are believed to be in conversation with the dead when they miss them.

Further research has shown that the best way of talking to the dead is through mediumship.

This involves a practice where a person, known as a medium, claims to communicate with the spirits of the dead.

Mediumship can also involve a variety of techniques, including séance tables and trance.

In elite communities like the United Kingdom, they also have a way of burying their dead.

Undertakers are also well-respected people that are hard to come by in public places.

Unlike here where many of these undertakers get on-the-job training and dine everywhere, in the UK, it is a big job.

According to the Glassdoor publication, funeral directors, and some of the undertakers earn around £20 000 per year, while the experienced pocket £27 000 per year.

This is meant to give mourners excellent services by rewarding them.

In the UK, the best way for people to carry out goodbyes to the dead comes at the end of the main service.

The practice affords families and friends a chance to speak before the body is buried or the curtains close around the coffin.

As elite as they come, a high level of competency in English and Mathematics at GCSE Level; A-levels in Biology or Religion can be beneficial, and while not mandatory.

Holders of Mortuary Science degrees have an added advantage in landing these jobs.

Working in the morgue is not a job for everyone as they believe in setting                        standards.