This archive report was first published on 15 July 2021.
Ugandans have long believed that death marks the end of earthly suffering. However, the Covid-19 pandemic has changed this narrative, with hospitals in the country now stripping death of its mystery.
Private hospitals have stopped showing patients that they expect them to die quickly on admission. If a patient doesn't have ready cash, they are forced to surrender collateral, often a land title deed. However, even after death, the family is not released from the debt, with the corpse remaining imprisoned in the mortuary until the family raises the cash to retire the mortgage.
Before the pandemic, health workers were revered, with their respect surpassing that of religious leaders. However, the new normal has seen a decline in this reverence, with the focus now on the commercialization of death.
Ugandans living on a dollar a day are more affected by the new normal, with the traditional African death rituals being replaced by a focus on the commercial aspects of death. The announcement of death, which was once a solemn affair, is now being banned by authorities due to the risk of crowding and the spread of the virus.
Funeral companies, which were previously struggling for business, are now overwhelmed with work, as families are forced to take on the task of handling the corpse and digging the grave. The government has issued guidelines for safely burying Covid-19 corpses, but the trauma of the bereaved has been compounded by the need to become undertakers.
As the pandemic continues to spread, it has commonized death, stripping it of its mystery and respect. The new normal in Uganda is one of commercialization and exploitation, where even death is not sacred.
Joachim Buwembo is a Kampala-based journalist.
