Living in a Funeral Culture
The writer Zakes Mda in his book “Ways of Dying” discusses how death
brings people together and how it creates opportunities for one to reflect on
life. The paintings speak about life lived and life passing simultaneously. The
funeral processions are painted in bold colours rather than dark and gloomy
tones. I use the brightness to numb or dumb down the seriousness of death. By
contrast, the facial expressions of figures in the paintings show the emotional
heaviness that comes with death.
We know where the body goes, however we speculate about the destination
of the soul.
My “Mr Death” character appears in many of the pictures as if he is sent
to take the next person. Yet instead of death being in charge of who goes next,
he is in fact, a servant killing time participating in the processions whilst
waiting for an instruction.
We know the date of our birth, but two enigmas remain: the date of one’s
death and who or what makes that decision.
Ntobeko Mjijwa
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