How COVID-19 pandemic is changing the Africa’s elaborate burial rites, mourning and grieving

In the paper

“The nature and how complex the various funeral rites are usually vary with communities where the deceased originated from, religion of practice, and the background of the dead or position they held in the community before death and their cultures heritage [9].”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites [9] Ekore RI Abass BL African Cultural Concept of Death and the Idea of Advance Care Directives Indian J Palliat Care 2016 22 4 369 372 27803556 PMC5072226

In the paper

“In Ireland, the Irish Association of Funeral Directors advised undertakers not to embalm the deceased, and to hold closed-coffin funerals instead of open-casket events [7].”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites [7] International The News How corona is changing funeral rites, mourning and grief Accessed on 15th April 2020

In the paper

“The United Synagogue, a union of Orthodox British Jewish synagogues, postponed the usual stone-setting ceremonies associated with burial in England [8].”

What the sources say

• ?Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  cites [8] Toberman B United Synagogue postpones all stone settings and limits funeral attendances 2020 3 25th The JC Accessed on 6th April 2020

In the paper

“No wonder death is considered by Africans as the last enemy that must be defeated and no matter how hopeless the case might be life must be preserved [9].”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites [9] Ekore RI Abass BL African Cultural Concept of Death and the Idea of Advance Care Directives Indian J Palliat Care 2016 22 4 369 372 27803556 PMC5072226

In the paper

“This explains why corpses of Africans who died in the Western countries were flew back and buried in Africa.”

In the paper

“All cemeteries have been shut and those sitting shiva, the seven-day period of mourning, have been advised that they cannot have visitors [8].”

What the sources say

• ?Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  cites [8] Toberman B United Synagogue postpones all stone settings and limits funeral attendances 2020 3 25th The JC Accessed on 6th April 2020

In the paper

“Unlike the developed countries where burials are usually conducted as private ceremonies, funerals in Africa are elaborate and are usually public ceremonies involving the entire members of families, friends and well-wishers.”

• Also stated in: § Commentary · plain

  “However, in the Western world, funerals are very private ceremonies, reserved for family and closest friends of the deceased [1].”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites [1] Hu B Ge X Wang L Shi Z Bat origin of human coronaviruses Virol J 2015 12 221 PMC4687304 26689940
• Not checked yetcites [11] Eyetsemitan F Cultural Interpretation of Dying and Death in a non-non-western Society: The Case of Nigeria Online Readings in Psychology and Culture 2002 3 2

In the paper

“They are very elaborate events, often the central life cycle events, unparalleled in cost and importance, for which families harness vast amounts of resources to host and lavish events for multitudes of people with ramifications well beyond the event [11].”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites [11] Eyetsemitan F Cultural Interpretation of Dying and Death in a non-non-western Society: The Case of Nigeria Online Readings in Psychology and Culture 2002 3 2

In the paper

“The pandemic has ended communal prayer and congregational funeral gatherings at many major churches, synagogues, mosques and temples in most countries of the world including Africa with some family members barred from cemeteries.”

In the paper

“According to Islamic law (“shariah”), the body should be buried as soon as possible from the time of death, which means that funeral planning and preparations begin immediately.”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites [15] Everplans Muslims funeral traditions Acceesed on 6th April 2020

In the paper

“The various laws enacted and implemented in the various nations in Africa have prevented mass gatherings for morning, praying for the dead bodies and celebration of the deceased through feasting.”

In the paper

“The mortuaries are now shadow of themselves with the mortuary attendants doing less of releasing bodies and the funeral directors now practically on holidays due to the marked reduction in burial activities across the nations in Africa.”

In the paper

“To prepare the body for burial, it must be washed (“Ghusl”) and shrouded (“Kafan”).”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites [15] Everplans Muslims funeral traditions Acceesed on 6th April 2020

In the paper

“It is acceptable in Islam to express grief over a death. Crying and weeping at the time of death, at the funeral, and at the burial are all acceptable forms of expression. However, wailing and shrieking, tearing of clothing and breaking of objects, and expressing a lack of faith in Allah are all prohibited [16].”

What the sources say

• ?Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  cites [16] Pulse 10 Muslim funeral traditions. 07/27/2015 Accessed 7th April 2020

In the paper

“The ban on mass gathering and funeral during this period of lockdown significantly reduced the patronage and significant reduction in the number of corpses released to the beavered families in most mortuaries.”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites [22] Okuhle Hlati Bodies pilling up in State mortuaries Accessed on 11th April 2020

In the paper

“Burial ceremonies are now less elaborate events in Africa because of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

• Also stated in: § Commentary · plain

  “The usual elaborate ceremonies with associated feastings are lacking in most burial conducted during this COVID-19 pandemic.”

In the paper

“COVID-19 pandemic has also caused the bodies of most immigrants not to be laid to rest in their countries of origin because of the suspension of international flights and restriction of movements.”

In the paper

“The rejection of some corpses due to lack of space in the mortuaries to store the corpses has been forcing the relatives to bury their ones immediately and postponing the burial ceremonies until the COVID-19 pandemic will be over.”

In the paper

“most mortuaries in Africa have a small capacity to store bodies and are poorly equipped with instruments, and lack adequate trained human resources to cope with mass deaths during pandemics like COVID-19 [23].”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites [23] Kazungu James Nanyingi Missa Katongole SP Robert A Wampande LN The State of Mortuary and Mortuary services in Public Health Facilities of Southwestern Uganda International Journal of Public Health Research 2015 3 6 360 369

In the paper

“Body bags are now used to replace the kafan, or white burial shroud by the Muslims and the routine washing of the body procedure changed to another Islamic method, tayammum, which consists of cleaning the dead body with either sand or dust [26].”

What the sources say

• ?Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  cites [26] Lubell M Death in the Holy Land: Coronavirus changes burial for Jews, Muslims Reuters Accessed on 6th April 2020

In the paper

“Despite the ban on burial and funeral ceremonies, human beings continue to die both from COVID-19 pandemic and other causes of deaths, leading to accumulation of corpses in the mortuaries.”

In the paper

“The native religions of Africa, which is the oldest type of religion in the continent, life does not end with death but continues in another realm and immediately after death,Vmost African traditional believers respect the transitional period of the deceased during which the incorporation of the deceased into the world of the dead and uniting with the ancestors [17].”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites [17] Raz SA Muslim burial: Tadfeen (burial) Accessed 9th April 2020

In the paper

“During the time preceding the funeral usually from seven to thirteen days visits are paid by people in the community to comfort the bereaved family and some sacrifices are also performed during this period [19].”

What the sources say

• ?Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  cites [19] Mbiti JS African Religions and Philosophy 1969 London Heinemann

In the paper

“some Muslims in some countries still observe all the Muslim burial rituals including the washing of the dead bodies but those involved in the burial procedure worn personal protective equipments to prevent possible transmission of the virus [28].”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites [28] The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) COVID-19 Muslim burial resources 32 Accessed on 17th April 2020

In the paper

“Generally, the mourning period lasts 40 days, but depending on the degree of religiousness of the family, the mourning period may be much shorter.”

What the sources say

• ?Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  cites [16] Pulse 10 Muslim funeral traditions. 07/27/2015 Accessed 7th April 2020

In the paper

“When a Muslim is approaching death, family members and very close friends should be present. They should offer the dying person hope and kindness, and encourage the dying person to say the “shahada” confirming that there is no God but Allah.”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites [14] The Conservation Nigeria´s tradition of matching outfits at events has a downside Accessed on 6th April 2020

In the paper

“After the funeral and burial, the immediate family will gather and receive visitors. It is customary for the community to provide food for the family for the first few days of the mourning period (usually three days).”

What the sources say

• ?Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  cites [16] Pulse 10 Muslim funeral traditions. 07/27/2015 Accessed 7th April 2020

In the paper

“Although, it is impossible to generalize the concepts of burial rites based the African religion because they are diverse ethno-religions group in the continent.”

In the paper

“The African religion basically adapted the ancient customs in the continent for funerals and the bottom line is that many African burial rites begin with the sending away of the departed with a request that they do not bring trouble to the living, and they end with a plea for the protection of those alive by their ancestors [20].”

What the sources say

• ?Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  cites [20] Parrinder Geoffrey African Traditional Religion 1962 London Sheldon

In the paper

“Most Africans that has course to bury their relatives did that without or in few cases with very minimal burial rites done during this period of pandemic.”

In the paper

“A local Islamic community organization should be contacted as soon as possible, and they will begin to help make arrangements for the funeral service and burial, assist the family in identifying an appropriate funeral home, and coordinate with the funeral home[15].”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites [15] Everplans Muslims funeral traditions Acceesed on 6th April 2020

In the paper

“Unfortunately, a proactive communication strategy was not put in place to educate and inform the population on the rationale behind rapid burial, or burial in an exceptional fashion of corpses from COVID-19.”

In the paper

“As soon as death has occurred, those present should say, “Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un” (“Verily we belong to Allah, and truly to Him shall we return”) [14].”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites [14] The Conservation Nigeria´s tradition of matching outfits at events has a downside Accessed on 6th April 2020

In the paper

“In African traditional religion, generally the dead are buried in their land of ancestry. Burial, to be considered proper, honourable, meaningful and acceptable in most African cultures, has to be done in the deceased´s ancestral land [17].”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites [17] Raz SA Muslim burial: Tadfeen (burial) Accessed 9th April 2020

In the paper

“the rejection of corpses are now a common practice in most mortuaries in Africa.”

In the paper

“When a Muslim dies, the body should be buried as soon as possible after death, thus there is no viewing before the funeral [15].”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites [15] Everplans Muslims funeral traditions Acceesed on 6th April 2020

In the paper

“The COVID-19 dead body were buried in most countries and cities where they died.”

In the paper

“With the sustained lockdown, most mortuaries are filled to the brim and corpses are laid on the floor in some mortuaries in Africa.”

In the paper

“Salat al-Janazah (funeral prayers) should be performed by all members of the community [16].”

What the sources say

• ?Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  cites [16] Pulse 10 Muslim funeral traditions. 07/27/2015 Accessed 7th April 2020

In the paper

“Those present should close the deceased´s eyes and lower jaw, and cover the body with a clean sheet. They should also make “dua” (supplication) to Allah to forgive the sins of the deceased [14].”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites [14] The Conservation Nigeria´s tradition of matching outfits at events has a downside Accessed on 6th April 2020

In the paper

“to curb the ravaging menace of coronavirus, several governments across Africa are currently on a lockdown with various laws instituted that forbid mass gathering of more than 20 people in a location at same time including banning of burial and funeral ceremonies, weddings parties, religious gatherings , imposition of restriction of movement and introduction of social distancing [21].”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites [21] Mbah Fidelis Nigerian announces lockdown of major cities to curb coronavirus 2020 3 30 Accessed on 6th April 2020