Today the most amazing thing happened.
Yesterday there was a terrible thunder storm and during the storm, a man was struck and killed by lightening. He was coaching a group of boys playing soccer at the time and was struck dead on the field in front of his team. The local culture believes that if you are struck by lightening and killed, you must be buried where you were struck. So this morning, a whole funeral procession came and got the body from our hospital morgue and took him in what I can only describe as grand New Orleans style, singing and dancing, to the field. Once there, they first proceeded to dig a hole with shovels and when that failed due to shallow bedrock, they brought in a modern excavator to do the work. The juxtaposition of a large group of Dinka people dancing and singing in traditional dress next to the huge backhoe digging a hole to bury this man in was such a fabulous contrast.
One of the other expats and I went to check out the progress of the hole. The locals were very welcoming despite my concerns they wouldn't want the Kawaja's there. One guy told us the story of the man and then another and another. It seems he was very well loved in the community and an amazing soccer player. They told us he was "bitten by the thunder." I think that is the most beautiful use of words to describe what happened. And I think the farewell they gave him was equally beautiful. I hope when I go someone will hold a funeral half as amazing as the one I witnessed this morning.
Yesterday there was a terrible thunder storm and during the storm, a man was struck and killed by lightening. He was coaching a group of boys playing soccer at the time and was struck dead on the field in front of his team. The local culture believes that if you are struck by lightening and killed, you must be buried where you were struck. So this morning, a whole funeral procession came and got the body from our hospital morgue and took him in what I can only describe as grand New Orleans style, singing and dancing, to the field. Once there, they first proceeded to dig a hole with shovels and when that failed due to shallow bedrock, they brought in a modern excavator to do the work. The juxtaposition of a large group of Dinka people dancing and singing in traditional dress next to the huge backhoe digging a hole to bury this man in was such a fabulous contrast.
One of the other expats and I went to check out the progress of the hole. The locals were very welcoming despite my concerns they wouldn't want the Kawaja's there. One guy told us the story of the man and then another and another. It seems he was very well loved in the community and an amazing soccer player. They told us he was "bitten by the thunder." I think that is the most beautiful use of words to describe what happened. And I think the farewell they gave him was equally beautiful. I hope when I go someone will hold a funeral half as amazing as the one I witnessed this morning.
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