His choice surprised far beyond South Africa. At the funeral of theAnglican bishop Desmond Tutu, on January 1, a detail caught the attention of those who followed this farewell ceremony: the Nobel Prize for peace chose a little-known funerary practice, aquamation. This is an alternative where the body is decomposed in water by hydrolysis, and not by fire as in the case of cremation.
Cape Town, the only place in South Africa, has had an aquamation machine in the backyard of a large funeral home for the past two years. du Cap, below, a first room can accommodate the family and loved ones of the deceased, who can attend the process and say their farewells. On the other side of the glass, the body has already been prepared and installed inside a huge metal cylinder.
The aquamation can begin: it will last between 7 and 13 hours, thanks to a chemical reaction that details Lynette Erasmus, who manages the local branch of the Avbob company: “The box is filled with water, and an alkaline product is added to it, which has properties opposite to an acid mixture. Then, some pressure is applied. The temperature climbs to 150 degrees, but it never boils“.
“At the end, the solution contains basic biological components, and can be evacuated normally”
Lynette Erasmusat franceinfo
All that remains, after these different stages, are the bones of the deceased. They will be reduced to powder, and placed in a small box which will be returned to the family.
This technique, brought back from the United States, has several attractions. It is thus considered more ecological than cremation, because it consumes less energy and emits less greenhouse gases. It is also based on the symbolism of water, which remains in the imagination less aggressive than fire, and which recalls the beginning of life, begun in a liquid environment.
Aquamation is currently prohibited in many countries, notably in France, where only burial and cremation are authorized. In South Africa, it is tolerated, even if the legislation is still vague and must be adapted to new funeral practices.
It is in these same premises that the body of Desmond Tutu also underwent an aquamation, on January 1st. After a very simple religious ceremony, as the archbishop wished, his body was transformed thanks to this machine. What to put a spotlight on the technique, according to Lynette Erasmus.
“The Archbishop was known to be very environmentally conscious, so this choice is very important.”
Lynette Erasmusat franceinfo
“VShe is someone who is much admired, in South Africa and around the world, so there has been a lot of interest in his opting for this method.“ she indicates.
The company carries out about twenty aquamations per month, and is already planning to buy ten other machines, to equip the rest of the country.