Life in Death: Addressing Heterotopic Burial Spaces by Re-Introducing Burial Rituals into the Inner-City of Pretoria

Abstract

Burial spaces within the City of Pretoria have become inert, fenced-off islands – restricting death rituals and their intrinsic value to society. The lack of urban burial space within Pretoria has resulted in the propagation of urban sprawl, and the bereaved are required to bury the deceased in cemeteries outside of the city. Burial spaces were once part of the range of vital public facilities within historical cities, and death rituals are argued to be central to cultural and individual identities. In order to address this predicament of the removal of burial rituals from the City, the dissertation proposes re-introducing a public commemorative burial space within the City of Pretoria. The dissertation challenges the notion of the heterotopic modern burial space occupying a peripheral site, out of the public eye, and completely insular to the public realm in order to preserve its sanctity. The overarching intention of the research is to develop a prototypical approach for the introduction of a commemorative burial space which can support the burial rituals of the cultural groups of Pretoria, publicly express civic cultural memory, and contribute to urban-placemaking activities.