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Burying the Bara

November 16, 2017 in Photo Essay
“Guns, rum and family. The journey to the afterlife according to the Bara. ”
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View fullsize The cloth behind this man conceals the body of his son - shot by bandits the night before
View fullsize The small hut is filled with the boy's family who eat a final meal in his presence
View fullsize Antoine
View fullsize Cattle related murders are nightly affairs in the district capital but the shock of losing a young relative is never mundane
View fullsize Antoine's brothers take it in turns to grieve, each firing a shot, crying out then being escorted by their friends
View fullsize This Bara custom allows each son's suffering to be recognised by the family
View fullsize Antoine's father sits surrounded by friends next to his son's coffin
View fullsize Here the 5 siblings look on as their brother’s grave is dug in the hard earth of a sacred hillside
View fullsize Untitled
View fullsize Untitled
View fullsize The coffin is lowered into the ground where his mother adorns it with the items he will need in the afterlife
View fullsize Antoine's uncle fires a final shot into the air
View fullsize Rocks are piled over the grave to deter dogs and looters. In a few months he will be carried to the family tomb - his body's final resting place. His spirit is understood to have already joined his ancestors
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Tags: Madagascar, Bara, Beroroha, Bandits, Cattle Rustling, Cattle, Murder, Family, Tradition, Burial, Community, Toaka Gasy
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