NYU Black Renaissance Noire Summer/Fall 2010 | Page 16

BRN-ISSUE-2-3-2010.indd 15

BLACK RENAISSANCE NOIRE
15

We get up and head back through the cemetery, where we
encounter a burial. A group of men carry the corpse of a
relative wrapped in a blanket. Mina, as I call her by now, turns
and explains that when someone dies, it is the men who
walk the body to the cemetery. Women come on their own a
few days later. They will cry and faint, pull their hair and
create a procedure ruckus. In general, Muslims don’t pay much
attention to the corpse, but rather to the life that has gone
and returned to Allah. Outside the house of the deceased they
set up tents, read the Koran and pray for a week or so. The
family makes couscous as mourners come to pay their respects.
I’ve heard of people dying in the morning and being buried
that same afternoon. There are barely pictures on the walls,
images vanish, nobody dwells on ?esh too long and, instead,
turns one’s attention to the spirit. Throughout ??????????)???M?????????????????????????????????????? ?????)??????5?????%??????????????????????????????????)=???M???)???()=?????????????????????????????????????????????????)%????????????????????????????????????M???)?????)?????=???????????????????????????????????????????????)????????????????]?????????????????????????????????????)???????????????$??????????????????????????????)??????5????e???????]???????????????????????????????)?????????????????????????????????????????????)]???????????????????????????????????????????????)????????????????????????????????????????????????????)???????????????????????????????????????????????????)???????????????????????????????????????M?????????)?????????????????????????????????a???????????????)??????????????????????????????????????????????????)?????????????????????????????????????????????????????)????????????????????????????????????????)???????????????????????????????????????????????)????????????????????????????????????????????)?????????????????????????????????????5??????????)????????M?????????
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