GHARAMA ZA MAZISHI NA MATANGA

Imechangiwa na Mzee Prof. Chris Chacha, tanzanet

The writer is missing a point. Sickness has always been a family affair. But death and death rites are a community/neighbourhood affair. Since in some cultures death and death rites are done by communinty, so are the costs thereof.

My personal experience in this issue is that the community participates less and less and the financial burden is met by the family members. I witnessed this during the passing away of my parents. Actually, it is as if people help you to burry the deceased and then expect to be fed for a week or more (depending on cultural length of matanga). Remember in my rural area "sahani haitembei, wao ni kuzika tu.

In the past I had criticized how "matanga" was handled by some cultures, where literally the family was left worse off economically because they spent too much on matanga. Boy! did I know, that this will be coming to my own back yard.

My observation even in funerals around Dar, there is more money spent on feeding people than sometimes collected. TO KEEP THEM COMING, (even those who will not contribute) you have to feed them. So goes michango ya arusi, bila kinywaji watu hawaji. Pale watakapoona wamekunywa vya kutosha, na hawatachangia wanaamua kutokuja. My take in this is we need seriously to look at this issue and suggest some ways to educate the public on which way to go.

Although an example was on Mwita Masese, but this could be a national trend and not a Ngoreme, or Buturi trend as we may want to potray it.

Njia fupi kama alivyoeleza Mzee Chacha hapo juu paragrafu ya nne, ni kuhakikisha kwamba huwapatii riziki wajao kwa nia hiyo, hivyo watatawanyika tu. Hawataendelea kuwanyonya wafiwa.