Dis is for my fallen soldiers
We miss you although you gone
We with you, gone pon di battle field
Life is so ****real…

IT’S a song made popular by Jamaican dancehall and reggae recording artiste, Demarco, that fittingly airs here on death announcement programmes on local television stations.
It’s also played at the burial ground, at the wake, and during the course of mourning a lost relative or loved one.
It’s synonymous with the sadness which evolves at the time of passing, but it’s also one of several dancehall hits that are also tied in with funeral trends of today: The tight-fitting, revealing clothing worn by the females; young men dressed in dapper suits. Even those of the older generation have cottoned to the style, which has taken over burial grounds across the capital city.
Alcohol, music, food and even vending are central ingredients of Guyana’s funerals.

‘SOUL FUNERAL’
Soul funerals have long been associated with the passing of men in the Caribbean, North America and the parts of London occupied by a West Indian population.
The trend is very popular in Jamaica, a country which has experienced various forms of crime waves over the past decade, mainly between gangs.
Ian Thomson, writing in the Spectator in London, notes, “Death is big business in parts of the Caribbean.” He said that in the Jamaican capital, Kingston, funeral homes with their plastic white Doric columns and gold-encrusted ‘caskets’ are like “A poor man’s dream of heaven.”
The dwindling belief in an afterlife, the consolation that we might ever join our loved ones, has taken much of the old-time religion out of the West Indian funeral, he said.
Wealthier Jamaicans may lavish up to US $30,000 on a Cadillac hearse. Now, even death wears bling, he said.

GUYANESE CULTURE
The trend of celebrating the life of the dead has slipped easily into the Guyanese society. During the turbulent 2002 crime wave, long lines of traffic would crawl through Cemetery Road, an important thoroughfare at rush hour, especially in the afternoons when persons leave work for home.
The congestion, which remains a feature today, is caused by the crowds which line Vlissengen Road during the funeral.
The slow-moving traffic provides the spectator with a first-hand view of what obtains at a “soul funeral”. Dancehall music is not necessarily confined to the lyrics of Demarco’s “Fallen Soldiers” but Alkaline’s “Gone away” as well, and an array of similar tunes, the colourful lyrics of some of which are more suited to a celebratory mood.
Of course, the reggae hits of yesteryear are blared at the wake and at the cemetery and the aftermath of funerals; gunshots are also a key feature at some funerals.
The scene at Guyana’s largest cemetery, Le Repentir is peculiar, since the festive atmosphere is complemented by mobile vendors, some selling the popular beverages of today, water, and snacks. Add the bottles of Hennessy, Grey Goose, and Jack Daniels being poured into red cups to the picture, and the scene contrasts sharply with the sad moments of yesteryear; a time of peace, quiet and solitude while laying a loved one to rest.

FASHION-FORWARD
These days, the changing trends are not confined to the passing of a young man or woman; even the middle-aged conservatives have adapted at least to the fashion of today’s funerals.
On November 20 on the lower East Coast of Demerara, a video on social media went viral as the funeral of “MASE” attracted dozens of persons.
The crowded procession followed a truck equipped with large boom-boxes with music blaring as persons gyrated, even with the coffin on their shoulders. Persons sipping alcoholic beverages from bottles added to the surreal atmosphere.
For Tricia, a regular funeral-goer on the West Bank of Demerara, the passing of a relative or friend brings a moment of sadness, especially if it’s a sudden passing such as death as a result of an accident or foul play.
“For me, though, I would overcome the loss and celebrate the person life, because for me, it’s a larger than life thing,” she said.
For others, soul funerals provide mourners with an opportunity to salvage the memories of the dead. Soul funerals sometimes last for hours, and most of that time is spent at the burial ground where the party-like atmosphere climaxes.
During a recent funeral at Le Repentir, mourners noted that the time at the ground provides an opportunity for relatives to meet each other after years; sometimes after decades of not seeing each other.
But there is something else which funerals are noted for; it is often seen in the Guyanese society as the occasion where relationships are initiated.
“My cousin met her future husband at a funeral,” Tricia laughingly said.