The body of South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who died last Sunday at the age of 90 and whose funeral took place this Saturday, will be reduced to ash using aquamation, a new method of cremation that combines water and high temperatures and provides an alternative. ecological to traditional burials.
Similar to the technique of composting bodies from layers of leaves and wood, or burial with liquid nitrogen, aquamation is a burial method that is only permitted in a few countries. In South Africa, this practice develops within a certain legislative vacuum.
Desmond Tutu, 1984 Nobel Peace Prize laureate for non-violent opposition to apartheid, made his wishes for the funeral clear. “He didn’t want window dressing or wasteful spending,” says the foundation that bears his name. In addition, he requested that the coffin be as cheap as possible and that a bouquet of carnations from the family be the only flowers in the Anglican Cathedral of São Jorge in Cape Town. His body was to be aquamated, and his ashes were later placed in a columbarium, buried behind the cathedral pulpit, where he served as archbishop for 35 years.
This method, scientifically called “alkaline hydrolysis”, consists of cremation with water, not fire. The remains of the deceased are placed in a large metal cylinder and then immersed in a liquid, a mixture of water and alkaline substances.
The fluid heats up to about 150 ° C while the cylinder is pressurized, a process that rapidly dissolves body tissue.
After a few hours, the tissues (fat, blood, skin, muscles) are completely liquefied, leaving only bones. They then turn into white ash, which is placed in an urn and distributed to family members.
From a symbolic point of view, water is considered softer than fire and signifies the end of life that originated in a liquid element. Moreover, Defenders of the method emphasize primarily the environmental benefits, as it uses less energy than incineration by incineration and emits fewer greenhouse gases.
While this seems like a new method, it has actually been around since the 1880s and was developed by a farmer who wanted to turn animal carcasses into fertilizer.
