Though there are many similarities in funerals and burials in the US and Uganda, there are also some differences. Community is everything in Africa, so people come in droves to both funerals and burials. We went to sit with the family Thursday morning, after Canon Ephraim died. Since he had been very involved in three churches, we decided to share the responsibilities for the services. We conducted a Holy Communion service at the home that night, another chapel led the vigil at the home as well as a service before the funeral, All Saints’ Kampala hosted the funeral, and burial was at the home. In Africa, people are generally buried at their ancestral home, but Canon Ephraim wanted to be buried here.
Since Canon died on a Thursday, the funeral was Friday evening, and the burial was Saturday, as is customary here. I expected All Saints’ to be full for the funeral, and it was. There were easily 1,000 people, and I would expect that there were easily that number of people who were unable to attend.
Speeches feature prominently in any kind of public function, and funerals and burials are no exception. Canon’s funeral lasted four and a half hours, and had it not been a Friday night, it probably would have lasted longer. The burial was similar; I think there were about 500 people, and the service was roughly four hours.
The family is expected to provide a meal for the attendees at a burial. I have no idea how one can even pretend to guess how many will attend, but the family decided well, and had three stations for the caterers to feed people.
All week, the students have remembered Canon Ephraim’s family in the Intercessions (Prayers of the People), which is appropriate. Please pray for the family, and for us, as we all move forward in a life without our beloved lecturer and friend.
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