Zambia

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Unburied body of former Zambian president is embroiled in a dispute with the current leader   A bitter feud in Zambia has left former President Edgar Lungu’s body unburied in a South African funeral home for more than eight months. The unusual dispute pits Lungu’s family against his longtime rival, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema. Lungu, shortly before his death in South Africa, stipulated that Hichilema should be barred from coming near his body. Courts have sided with the Zambian state, but the family keeps resisting. Read more.

Why this matters: The body lies frozen in South Africa while Zambia endures a saga that offends traditional beliefs and raises many questions in a country where it is taboo to fail to bury the dead promptly and with dignity.      The fight over a corpse can seem bizarre to others, but Lungu’s directive resonates with many Zambians. Some have barred their enemies from attending their funerals, often blaming them for misfortune. Those quarrels are usually more private.    Belief in curses is also part of this. Hichilema’s supporters see Lungu’s will as casting a curse. In Zambia, traditional religion thrives alongside Christianity, and a spoken curse is dreaded by many as spiritually enforceable if provoked by injustice.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Court order stops a former Zambian president’s burial in South Africa on the day of his funeral  Former Zambian President Edgar Lungu has died at 68  In African politics, the rampant belief in witchcraft fortifies some and vexes others