Honoring The Dead: Ugandan Man Buried With Piles of Newspaper

The dying wishes of our loved ones are often held in high esteem. On the African continent, there are superstitious connotations to such dying wishes too.

It was a bizarre scene to some and while others saw it as part of the excitement of burying the elderly when an 89-year-old man was being laid to rest with piles of newspaper in central Uganda as part of his dying wish.

Dodoviko Ssenyonjo was reportedly committed to reading local newspapers while he was alive, and did not trust that relatives would keep his collection after he died.

“Rarely would he be seen without a copy of his newspaper,” a local shopkeeper told a local news agency.

In many parts of the world, Dodoviko Ssenyonjo's death wish isn't as odd and difficult. A popular legal icon in Nigeria had asked that all his books (over 25,000) be buried with him. Others had wished that their favorite pet be buried with them. Some would request for their car or valuables and families have had to reluctantly abide by the wishes of the dead.

In some instances, locals have had to exhume the grave to recover valuable items, if there's anything like stealing from the dead or better still graveyard theft, that's how it came about.

Honoring the dead is a task that must be done for those who hold superstitious beliefs. Many are of the opinion that if such dying wishes are not honored, it could spell misfortune for the family and community.

What if the dead requires your bank savings or worse still, that your wife, husband or children be buried with him, would you honor the dead?

Header Image Credit: thehindu.com