Our First Virtual Death Cafe South Africa
A write up of Virtual Death Cafe South Africa
By Marie-Louise
End-of-life doulas Lisa Ludwig-Mackenzie & Marie-Louise Steyn co-hosted this gathering at 7:30 p.m., SAST, on April 23rd. There were 16 of us, including 2 guests from the US. The duration of our Café was 90 minutes.
After brief introductions and sharing what brought each of us to DC, we split into two breakout rooms for more intimate discussions. Our conversations travelled far and wide, from the personal realities of loss and the role of a doula to complex discussions on VSED, MAiD, and the Kubler-Ross stages of grief. We touched upon the essential nature of end-of-life planning, the reality of navigating transitions alone, the intentionality of Swedish death cleaning, and the quiet, natural knowing of the body as it prepares to die. We also explored the state of elder care. The 30 minutes flew by, and then we all came together again to share some takeaway messages.
It was powerful to witness how, in such a short time, we moved from the heavy realities of life to finding shared connection. When asked to sum up the evening, attendees offered these beautiful words: thoughtful, excited, gratitude, real, trajectory, and community. One guest commented, “It reminds me of the gospel song Oh Happy Day. Lisa combined these words beautifully: “There was a real sense of community and deep gratitude for the thoughtful dialogue, leaving us all excited about the trajectory of these conversations, reminding us, in the spirit of a ‘happy day’, that talking about death is truly a celebration of life.”
Thank you to everyone who made it such a special evening. Our next Death Café will be on May 20th from 7:30 p.m., SAST, to 9:30 p.m.