Advertisement 211
This new grave, located near two roadways in the cemetery, has been prepared for the burial on Wednesday. (iWN photo)
This new grave, located near two roadways in the cemetery, has been prepared for the burial on Wednesday. (iWN photo)
Advertisement 219

The burial at the Kingstown Cemetery that was cancelled on Saturday after the controversial filming of a political video at the gravesite will take place on Wednesday (tomorrow).

iWitness News was reliably informed on Tuesday that a new grave in the cemetery is to be the final resting place of the deceased woman.

On Tuesday, iWitness News visited the cemetery and the grave, which was not used on Saturday, remained opened.

In the meantime, Cultural Ambassador Rondy “Luta” McIntosh has taken responsibility for the decision of his team to film footage for a political song at the gravesite.

He said that he had received permission, but declined to say from whom.

Advertisement 21

McIntosh, however, said that the family of the deceased had rejected the grave because it had not been dug in the requested location in the cemetery.

iWitness News was reliably informed that the various parties involved, including the funeral home, the grave diggers and the Town Board are preparing reports regarding the incident.

Our sources said that when the funeral procession reached the cemetery, a relative of the deceased called the funeral home to say they would not be using the grave for the burial because it had been desecrated.

On Tuesday, there were pieces of artificial yellow flowers strewn in and around the grave, and part of the sides had collapsed, with the dirt falling inside.

McIntosh said on Hot FM, on Monday, that the person who was supposed to clean up after the filming had not done so.

The soca artiste, who is also an activist for the ruling Unity Labour Party (ULP), is believed to have been filming a mock funeral of the main opposition New Democratic Party (NDP).

The video is for the election campaign.

McIntosh’s props on Saturday included a cardboard coffin, painted yellow, the flagship colour of the NDP, while the actors wore military style outfits and red berets — red being the colour used by the ULP.

Luta funeral video 4
McIntosh, front, and his team at the cemetery on Saturday.

iWitness News understands that the family of the deceased woman complained to the funeral home that they were not going to use the grave as they felt that they held the view that the site had been desecrated.

Our information is that after the state grants permission for the digging of a grave at Kingstown Cemetery, the funeral home may contract persons to prepare the grave, or the family has the option of hiring its own gravediggers.

The digging of the grave on Saturday was part of the package offered by the funeral home, iWitness News was reliably informed.

The family of the deceased is said to have made a special request that the grave be in a location where someone in a vehicle could observe the burial.

This request is said to have been made because a close relative of the deceased uses a wheelchair and cannot otherwise witness the burial or visit the gravesite in the future. 

When special requests are made regarding the location of a grave, the family, the funeral home and the gravediggers generally identify the site together.

However, something is said to have gone wrong on Saturday and the grave was dug along an incline near one of the perimeter walls of the cemetery.

Our sources say that when a request for a special gravesite is granted and there is a development preventing the digging of the grave, the funeral home is generally contacted.

iWitness News understands that no such report was made in relation to the burial that should have taken place on Saturday.

Sometimes, gravediggers might encounter large rocks, tree roots or human remains, causing them to abandon a particular spot, and dig a different grave elsewhere.

However, for some reason, only when the funeral arrived at the cemetery for the burial on Saturday did the family realise that the grave had not been dug in the requested location.

iWitness News understands that some members of the family had made a case for the body to be buried in the grave that McIntosh had used.

They, however, decided against it because of the condition in which the grave was left after the filming.

3 replies on “Burial affected by political video takes place on Wednesday”

  1. The entire event stinks! No respect for the dignity of humanity to use a cemetery, a grieving family and the event of a burial as a non-event to be upstaged by a political stunt. Shameful!

    So! The ULP knows nothing about this? Just like when they were making the big ULP star when constructing the airport. Obviously someone in the ULP knew something. Or are we stupid?
    The ULP should be ashamed of thier arrogance.
    I can almost bet what arrogant politician is behind this.

  2. Mass in the hospital,
    Block o in the cemetery
    Oh lawd what a bacchanal
    See we vincy dancing with jumbie

    …so I am confused. Did the family reject the grave site because it was dug in the wrong location or because Luta “desecrate” the site?

    It seem there were too many cooks in the kitchen in regard to this funeral arrangements. By the way, when did Luta filmed the video, cause if it was just before the funeral, that’s mad disrespectful.

    It’s sad,, that political shenanigans is such in Vincyland that not even the dead could escape it reach.

Comments closed.