Crossing Continents

Living with the Dead


Listen Later

Since the beginning of time, man has lived in awe and fear of death, and every culture has faced its mystery through intricate and often ancient rituals. Few, however, are as extreme as those of the Torajan people on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. Here, the dead are a constant presence, with corpses often kept in family homes for many years. When funerals are eventually held, they don't mean goodbye. Once every couple of years, the dead are dug back out for a big family reunion. Is this a morbid obsession? Or could it be a positive way of dealing with the grief of losing a loved one? For Crossing Continents, Sahar Zand enters these remarkable communities where the dividing line between this world and the next is like a thin veil - a place with lessons for all of us. Exploring these traditions, Sahar seeks to understand the Torajan way of death and finds it changing her own thinking towards the loss of her own father.

Producers Rebecca Henschke and Bob Howard.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Crossing ContinentsBy BBC Radio 4

  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7

4.7

74 ratings


More shows like Crossing Continents

View all
In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,405 Listeners

From Our Own Correspondent by BBC Radio 4

From Our Own Correspondent

369 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,802 Listeners

File on 4 Investigates by BBC Radio 4

File on 4 Investigates

40 Listeners

Start the Week by BBC Radio 4

Start the Week

156 Listeners

Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,654 Listeners

Thinking Allowed by BBC Radio 4

Thinking Allowed

308 Listeners

Profile by BBC Radio 4

Profile

101 Listeners

Great Lives by BBC Radio 4

Great Lives

481 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,752 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,085 Listeners

The Bottom Line by BBC Radio 4

The Bottom Line

36 Listeners

More or Less: Behind the Stats by BBC Radio 4

More or Less: Behind the Stats

884 Listeners

Witness History by BBC World Service

Witness History

963 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

2,088 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,036 Listeners

Last Word by BBC Radio 4

Last Word

45 Listeners

Moral Maze by BBC Radio 4

Moral Maze

71 Listeners

The Audio Long Read by The Guardian

The Audio Long Read

840 Listeners

The Inquiry by BBC World Service

The Inquiry

760 Listeners

The Briefing Room by BBC Radio 4

The Briefing Room

82 Listeners

13 Minutes Presents: The Space Shuttle by BBC World Service

13 Minutes Presents: The Space Shuttle

4,175 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

2,947 Listeners

The Great Post Office Trial by BBC Radio 4

The Great Post Office Trial

36 Listeners