Memorialising the deceased

The other is a building housing a tomb and named after King Mausolus of Turkey. When her husband Prince Albert died in 1861, it was Queen Victoria who popularised the mausoleum. She led the way in making memorialisation fashionable.
After her reign, cemeteries became not only a pleasant respite from the dirty and noisy cities; they also became large scale public art galleries. The reasoning; while a family grieved over the loss of a loved one, they could also absorb a little culture.
In Zimbabwe the debate about the erection and location of the statue, of the late Vice President Joshua Nkomo has been raging. I hope all concerned will one day find common ground on how best to memorialise his life. Together we must find the best form to honour and memorialise the life of the late Father Zimbabwe.
On the death of loved ones, people observe two basic needs — the desire to remember, and to be remembered. In tragedy, on the scale of a tsunami or in isolated natural death from old age, people die and for each death those left behind have one form or another of memorialising the deceased.
For the living, it is a way to remember those who have passed on and can be revisited as and when to remember a life and what that life contributed to the lives of survivors.
A typical response on the loss of a loved is to feel bereft of life, but a memorial can help us cope and spur us on for the future.
History
Memorialisation, as an act of honouring and remembering the lives of those who precede us in death, is an age-old concept that pre-dates history.
The ancient Chinese, Egyptians and Greeks all paid respect to their deceased through memorialisation, often in ways that were unique to their culture and time.
The Chinese conveyed memorialisation through writings more than 13 centuries before the birth of Christ; the Egyptians built monumental temples and structures in memorialisation of their dead, as did ancient Greeks.
Archaeological discoveries in Europe show that memorialisation was an important part of life before the birth of Christ. Wall carvings, cave paintings and burial rituals all point to acts of memorialisation as well as a desire to be looked upon favourably by the deities to whom they prayed.
Memorialisation in Christian times
From the early days of Christianity, evidence of memorialisation can be found all across Europe and beyond.
From the remnants of Roman archaeology to early Christian Saints who fled the Holy Land in fear of persecution, and the medieval gravestones in Britain’s cemeteries, there are memorials of all different shapes and sizes that have provided a route to remembrance for generations, right through to present day.
In the United States, memorialisation has played a significant role throughout much of the country’s history.
From the rituals and observances of the first native populations of the country to the people of present day North America, memorialisation is a powerful concept that continues to help them remember past generations and inspire future ones.
Modern day memorialisation
Memorialisation has become a universal concept — both from the perspective of the person who is being memorialised to those doing the memorialising. While it was once reserved almost exclusively for the highest classes in any society, memorialisation has now risen almost to the level of a basic human right for all people.
Today, especially in developed countries, nearly every human being can expect to be permanently memorialised with some sort of specially designed structure, from just a headstone to a monumental structure tailored as a tribute to one’s life.
In Southern Africa the concept of memorialisation is about all kinds of activities aimed at keeping up or restoring the memory related to something past.
Deliberate memorialisation activities are public ga-therings to commemorate the struggle for independence, church services, funerals, exhumations and reburials for those who died in the struggle. They might take place at a date the organisers or participants deem appropriate, or be organised to occur at the same date every year in the instance of heroes’ day.
Types of memorialisation
When someone dies it is only natural that those left behind will want to create a memorial to honour and remember the deceased.
There are many ways for the bereaved to do this, including planting a tree or commissioning a memorial plaque Cemetery grounds in developed countries contain many well established trees and shrubs which can be dedicated to the memory of a loved one. Many of the cemeteries have an area around them which is reserved for the planting of trees in memory of loved ones. Plaques can also be dedicated to the deceased.
Memorialisation can take the form of communities reclaiming a denied historical past, including reclaiming their denied dead through exhumations and reburials. The output may be a monument, a grave, a headstone at a gravesite, a shrine, or a building or street named after an individual. Garden memorials are another option to honour the deceased and are the ones gaining in popularity the world over.
Public or private garden memorials
When choosing to memorialise the life of a loved one by way of a garden memorial, the first decision that the next of kin must make is whether to set the memorial in a public or on a private memorial garden.
Public memorial gardens are peaceful landscaped public areas where appropriate garden memorials can be placed in honour of loved ones. They are often attached to funeral homes and public cemeteries, and offer memorial plots for garden memorials at a price.
A garden memorial established on private property of the deceased or next of kin offers the opportunity to construct more personal garden memorials in honour of the deceased. Whereas in a public memorial garden the bereaved will need to observe strict regulations as laid down by the owner of the land on which the garden memorial is set, garden memorials on private property are largely free from such restrictions.
Memorialisation has been used by communities the world over to deal with emotions following the loss of loved ones.
Through memorials we satisfy ourselves that we have appeased the deceased and this gives us some form of healing and comfort.
It is also used by many to make up for the lost time one could have had with the late and through memorialisation relatives afford themselves an opportunity to reconnect with the deceased in spirit.
Through whatever means people may decide to remember their loved one with, the means should be one that gives value and satisfaction to those remembering.
Through memorialisation the message being communicated to the deceased is, we celebrate the life you had and even in death we have not forgotten you.
Often the way one is memorialised shows the level of importance of the remembered within a family, society or country. Hence some people would be remembered at family level whilst some will be remembered at national level, and the world over for some.
While it is standard that memorial functions be held in memory of a late loved one, the form and size will differ because of cultural diversities and beliefs. While some will commit massive cash resources in memory of a deceased some will perform a simple act of planting a tree as a remembrance gesture.-
 Phillip Mataranyika is the chief executive officer of Nyaradzo Funeral Assurance Company. — mavmat67@hotmail. com