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KISUMU, Kenya (AP) — The body of Tom Ochieng Mima is dressed in formal funeral finery, casket shaded from the hot western Kenyan sun as family and friends of the late 64-year-old settle into plastic chairs beneath white tents just off the roadside.
Wails pierce the air in a mix of lyrical song and unrestrained cries; a group of mourners wave leafy branches and beat them against the ground in a rhythm. A performance like this would not seem out of place at many funerals around the world — at first glance.
But this group of men and women never knew Mima, nor are they friends of his bereaved loved ones. They are professional mourners who are hired to openly and loudly express grief in line with local Luo cultural norms.
The role is an unlikely but relatively steady and well-paid job in Kenya’s poorer western regions, where traditional beliefs blend with widespread Christianity to create a unique patchwork of religious rites.
“It is a job anyone can do,” said Francis Oyoo, who has worked as a professional mourner for the last two years. “As long as you are in touch with your emotions and can show empathy.”
Oyoo typically receives one or two jobs as a professional mourner each month, with the pay — close to $80 — modest but enough to keep him afloat.
Professional mourners say they draw on their own experiences of grief to channel emotion at others’ funeral ceremonies.
“You think of someone you loved,” said Oyoo, who began the work after his uncle died in an accident and he felt compelled to help others with loss.
James Ajowi, another paid mourner at Mima’s funeral, is a veteran of more than 20 years in the profession. His daughter died a few years ago of a lung disease, and he said his own experience with grief deepened his commitment to the work. “It’s as if she was preparing me,” Ajowi said.
Those left behind take great comfort in the professional mourners who bolster attendance at funerals, which are already loud and busy community social affairs in western Kenya.
“They support us. They show us love,” said Lawrence Ouma Angira, who was raised by the deceased Mima, his uncle. “They help fill the emptiness and they comfort us,” he added — even if they never knew the subject of their grief. “They understand loss.”
Among the Luo people who live near Lake Victoria, mourning is not only about grief but also protection, according to Charles Owour Olunga, an anthropologist. Death is seen as a transition, with crying, singing, and movement by mourners helping drive away evil spirits.
Additional, unrelated mourners — typically women — appear at funerals in traditional cultures across Africa and Asia, Olunga said, though it is relatively unusual for men to also play a role. In addition to grieving, they may also help maintain order in large gatherings.
The professionalization of mourning is relatively recent, however, the anthropologist noted. “It is linked to urbanization and commercialization,” said Olunga. “We are moving away from the authentic, but still holding on to tradition. They add color to an existing process.”
Among scholars of religion, the particular blend of Christian beliefs with even older spiritual traditions in western Kenya is also notable.
The region has a significant number of so-called African-initiated churches, according to University of Nairobi research. They are a phenomenon linked to local pushback against strict Christianity’s prohibition of Indigenous rituals.
For the mourners, both those who knew Mima and the paid strangers, the nuances of combined Christian and traditional beliefs are less important than the emotional understanding and comfort that grief builds community.
“Death is painful,” said Oyoo. “But I also find strength in knowing that one day, I too will die — and people will gather for me.”
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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
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