African Sadness

1). As the scorching hot African sun pierced the clear blue sky, the stale smell of the cemetery permeated throughout the surroundings. Way sweaty because we were in suits.  Drank a Coca Cola before walking into the cemetery. Slight breeze, but not much at all to distract from the Sun. The sounds of crying and wailing could be heard from all ends of the cemetery.

2) Walking down the pathway numerous graves are protruding from the ground, differing in size and shape. Symbols of the wealth and class of the past. Giant Mausoleums, nice tombstones, hastily built tombstone, mounds of dirt in the ground. A mass of people all dressed in black surrounding the grave site. Being the only white people in the group. Standing off to the side, almost on top of someone’s grave because we were late getting there. Many flowers there and thrown into burial site. Singing of spirituals and loud crying.

3) The mother screaming and crying the child’s name and the word no over and over and over again. The catholic priest giving his short little sermon about death, how dust we came and now as dust we must return. The African spirituals that they sang. They sang about returning home to our Father, about love, peace and hope. Others who also were crying repeating the words no, no, no over and over again.

4) It was the first time I had ever experienced a funeral like this. Standing and watching as so many people suffering from anguish and sadness twisted my soul. I wanted to comfort them, I wanted to take away the anguish they were feeling. I felt depressed and sad myself, being influenced by the people around me. I could feel that despair that death brings to ones life, having never had to experience that before in my life. And then I remembered my Savior, and why we are here. I began feeling lighter and a burning within me that seemed to push the despair I was just feeling out of my surroundings. I began feeling hope once more, the happiness, and understanding. Joy filled within me that I wished it would overflow and spill over to the other participants of the funeral.

5) My investigator/The Father: Big Teddy Bear of a man, Calm and collected. Held his composure, just looked on as the funeral continued. When we said hi to him he let a few moments of emotion and crying.

The Mother: Big, Solid African Woman, Hysterical, couldn’t keep herself together. Screaming, crying, wailing.

The Mourners: Took the lead from the Mother, crying, wailing, singing. Lots of emotion were showed by multiple people. Their emotion could easily be felt.