A resident of the neighborhood around the Major General Vicente García Municipal Cemetery said something I overheard as I was passing by, and I must admit, it left me thinking. “People talk about how bad this place is, but they don’t mention that many believe it’s a hotel. They bring the dead here and forget all about them.”

Las Tunas, Cuba.- And, despite the cruelty that may be implied in his words, there is some truth to them. At least that’s what the delays in the exhumations of some individuals suggest —an issue that has forced workers from Communal Services to exercise their right to carry them out “on their own initiative—,” at times, because of the need for space at the cemetery.

There have been delays in these procedures that far exceed the time allowed for extensions, and it is common for Funeral Services workers to go to neighborhoods —more than once— to locate family members so they can come and carry out the painful process.
Often, they are successful in their search, but just as often, people have moved, emigrated, or even died themselves; and then what? What happens?

The only option is exhumation, and given the scarcity of ossuaries, the bones end up in temporary holding areas; over time, many descendants are unable to trace the remains of the deceased, which, incidentally, are left in the care of the local workers.

And this is not a new issue; nor is it directly related to the fact that many cemeteries in these parts are overcrowded or that there is no crematorium available to the locals.

Sometimes it stems from very specific circumstances that hinder families’ ability to travel, but just as often, people turn their backs on their loved ones as if, over time, their tears had swallowed up reality and the body they once loved so dearly had completely vanished from this world.

Recently, the Municipal Directorate of Funeral Services in Las Tunas issued an official statement respectfully requesting that families cooperate with scheduled exhumations to facilitate everyone's work, among other things.

And more recently, Dulce María Zayas Rodríguez, deputy director of Funeral Services for the municipality of Las Tunas, in statements to Radio Victoria station, emphasized that the public has responded very favorably to the call; she also said that this has helped ensure that no new burials have been necessary at the Becerra cemetery or other nearby cemeteries.

However, any appeals are enough for an issue that demands constant monitoring and extreme sensitivity, given the various aspects involved.

We know that, while it is not the solution to all the problems that persist in these important institutions—most of which require substantial investment and resources—it would, to a large extent, help ensure adequate conditions on site and humanize the work of those who labor there and the mourners who arrive, in the wake of death, in urgent need of new services.