Funerals in Zimbabwe: Music, singing, and delicious food

Written by: Ayman Ragab

Funeral societies in Zimbabwe are undergoing a remarkable transformation in their roles, having moved beyond their traditional mission of helping to cover funeral costs to become a means of supporting the living and assisting them in facing economic and living burdens.

Funerals in Zimbabwe are not just farewell ceremonies, but a major social event that requires high spending on food, music and other arrangements, which puts many families under great financial and psychological pressure, and may push some of them to borrow money to avoid social embarrassment.

After a deeply emotional

Dr. Jacob Mokhotso, senior lecturer in theology and religion at the University of Pretoria in South Africa, affirms that funerals have a deep emotional dimension, saying: “A funeral is a very moving and emotional event. You are burying here a loved one, someone you will never see again. Someone who may have made a positive contribution to your life, so you will want to do whatever it takes to ensure that they are buried with dignity.”.

Faced with these challenges, an increasing number of citizens have turned to funeral homes to alleviate the burdens associated with the loss of loved ones.

Melissa Casso recounts her experience after her mother's death, explaining that she joined the funeral society her mother had been a member of since 2023.

She said: “I joined this funeral society in 2023 after the death of my mother, who was a member. The funeral society has helped us a lot because death comes suddenly and without warning.”.

The 29-year-old added that the local association rushed to provide support to the family, supplying large cooking pots, bags of corn flour and other necessities, and even took it upon themselves to light the cooking fire during the mourning ceremony.

As she moved into the association, Casso discovered that a new cultural shift was taking place in parts of Africa, where burial societies were beginning to expand their services to include the care of the living as well.

Grocery savings

In addition to helping organize members' funerals, some of these associations now offer grocery plans and support small business creation, attempting to help families cope with the rising cost of living, difficulty accessing bank loans, and income instability in a country where more than two-thirds of the population works in the informal sector. Members pay a nominal monthly subscription for these services.

During a recent meeting of the Kuchimana Burial Society in Kasu, death was not on the agenda; instead, the members were busy singing, discussing, and brainstorming ideas for small projects that included poultry farming and detergent manufacturing.

“We started the idea of burying our families and friends because we discovered that most of us do not come from privileged backgrounds and that our funerals were not dignified and decent,” said the association’s secretary, Nyadzisay Meresawu.

These initiatives reflect the growing role of funeral societies in Zimbabwe, which are no longer limited to providing support in times of loss, but have become a platform for social solidarity, economic development and supporting members in their daily lives.

According to the Associated Press