Grave matters

Surprisingly, there are many stories to be discovered on a stroll through a graveyard, where people’s lives and, in more recent years, their interests, professions, hobbies, pets, music and even motorcars are remembered.

Besides providing a record of history, these walks through time also reveal changes in social trends and attitudes. On my many walks through Namibia’s graveyards searching for a hero’s grave or finding the missing links in people’s life-stories, I have noticed something extraordinary. In the last thirty years since independence, there has been a shift from the religious uniformity of gravestones to a more creative expression of the person’s individuality, where not only is a person honoured and remembered, but also what they valued and loved most in life.

We would like to share these special finds with you on a regular basis in celebration of the interests and passions in our lives, the elements that make our journeys here on Earth so full, joyful and worthwhile.