On Sunday, Nick and I decided to take the kids to Joburg’s oldest public cemetery. As noted in previous posts, I have always been fascinated with graveyards – and especially really old graveyards. For us, it’s a fascinating history lesson. Reading the headstones allows us just the tiniest glimpse into the lives of others who loved, lost and lived in times long before either of us were born.
It also reminds us of the frailty of human life. Life is short. We live – we die… and many of us die too soon.
Nick and I aren’t shy about discussing the topic of death. Death is a part of life – it’s not a taboo subject in our family. Morgan has asked about death on a number of occasions (most recently, when her hamster died). And she has also recently asked about ghosts. The conversation went something like this:
Morgan: Dad, what are ghosts?
Nick: Well… some people believe that when we die… some of us become ghosts. It’s like a spirit with no body.
Morgan: Oh.
Nick: What do you think?
Morgan: Well, I think that when we die… we become bones.
Visiting old graveyards (fast becoming a family tradition, it would seem) has become our way of reminding ourselves how precious… and how frail… life is. Life is a gift! Graveyards remind me to embrace that gift – and to live life to the fullest… not waste it away on nothingness. I would really like to be counted amongst those who LIVED… before they died (and sadly, not everyone does).
Here are some photos of Braamfontein Cemetery (well worth a visit). It has a Jewish section, a Muslim section, a Chinese section – and so much more. The Jewish section was the most overgrown (and the most beautiful)… the Muslim section is the area that is most looked after (because Braamfontein Cemetery is right next to Fordsburg – a predominantly Muslim area and they take special care of the graves of their dead ancestors).
Also – after the pictures – I’m adding 2 links to related posts which might interest you (if this graveyard post interests you at all)….
On a similar theme, I wrote a post about The Top 5 Regrets of the Dying a couple of weeks ago. Definitely worth a read…. as is this post, written by one of my new friends from the Travelling Families group. The post is all about what death taught him about how to live – and I found it so inspiring and eye-opening.
Glad to have found this! My grandfather is buried in the Jewish section of Braamfontein Cemetery. I will be visiting Johannesburg in January 2013 and would like to find his grave. Is it safe to wander in there?
I’d say that it’s safe enough to wander in there – but I wouldn’t do it alone. The main part of the cemetery is very open and spacious (you can easily see who is coming and going)… and there’s a security guard at the front entrance (and, I think, a second security guard who walks the property). The Jewish section, however, is cordoned off in a separate section and it’s very overgrown. In a way, it was my favourite part of the cemetery because it was very beautiful – it felt like we had discovered a secret garden, a lost world of sorts. There are a handful of homeless people who sleep in the Jewish section. We’d occasionally come across their belongings tucked into little corners between the graves. I think that the cemetery staff (guards and those who work at the crematorium) are aware that there’s homeless people living in the Jewish section, but they all seem to have reached an understanding about it. As a woman, I don’t think I’d explore the full extent of the cemetery on my own… but with my husband and kids, it was a fascinating day. If you feel a bit uncomfortable, ask one of the security guards to accompany you to the Jewish section… or visit with a group. It’s DEFINITELY worth the visit – especially the Jewish section.
Thanks heaps, Heather. I’ll be taking my husband so there will be two of us. How long do you reckon it would take to check out all the Jewish graves?
The Jewish section isn’t nearly as huge as the main section – but there are still quite a lot of graves crammed in there. The Jewish section also isn’t as higgledy-piggledy as the main section – the Jewish section is laid out in neat rows, so you can walk a neat zig-zag and not miss a grave.
Lovely, thanks so much.
Pleasure. 🙂