The body of Tom Ochieng Mima is dressed in formal funeral finery, his casket shaded from the hot Kenyan sun as family and friends of the late 64-year-old settle into plastic chairs beneath white tents just off the roadside. Wails pierce the air in a mix of lyrical song and unrestrained cries, as mourners wave leafy branches and beat them against the ground in a rhythm. A performance like this would not seem out of place at many funerals around the world, at least at first glance. But this group of men and women never knew Mima, nor are they friends of his bereaved loved ones. They're professional mourners, hired to openly and loudly express grief in line with local Luo cultural norms, per the AP.
The role is an unlikely but relatively steady and well-paid job in Kenya's poorer western regions, where traditional beliefs blend with widespread Christianity to create a unique patchwork of religious rites. "It is a job anyone can do," said Francis Oyoo, who has worked as a professional mourner for the last two years. "As long as you are in touch with your emotions and can show empathy." Oyoo typically receives one or two jobs as a professional mourner each month, with the pay—close to $80—modest but enough to keep him afloat. Professional mourners say they draw on their own experiences of grief to channel emotion at others' funeral ceremonies.
"You think of someone you loved," says Oyoo, who began the work after his uncle died in an accident and he felt compelled to help others with loss. Among the Luo people who live near Lake Victoria, mourning is not only about grief but also protection, according to anthropologist Charles Owuor Olunga. Death is seen as a transition, with crying, singing, and movement by mourners helping drive away evil spirits. The professionalization of mourning is relatively recent, he notes: "It is linked to urbanization and commercialization. ... [The mourners] add color to an existing process."
Among scholars of religion, the particular blend of Christian beliefs with even older spiritual traditions in western Kenya is also notable. The region has a significant number of so-called African-initiated churches, per University of Nairobi research. They're a phenomenon linked to local pushback against strict Christianity's prohibition of Indigenous rituals. Those left behind take great comfort in the pro mourners who bolster attendance at funerals, which are already loud and busy community social affairs in western Kenya. "They support us. They show us love," says Lawrence Ouma Angira, who was raised by the deceased Mima, his uncle. "They help fill the emptiness and they comfort us. They understand loss."
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
