Dignity even in death

When grief becomes a stage, dignity in death is lost and sacred mourning spaces are reduced to political theatre. [Courtesy/iStock]

There was a time when death commanded silence and deep reverence. The loss was spoken of in hushed tones. Mourners huddled together in long stretches of silence occasionally pierced by a sudden cry and then returning to stillness. There was comfort in that silence.

 In death, the living stepped back and allowed grief to take its rightful place. In many African societies, death was understood not as an end but as a transition, a crossing of two worlds, a connection between the living and the spirit. And because no one could fully comprehend what lay beyond, everyone approached this moment with care not just to appease the gods but to honour the departed.