Why create a park and mix cemetery/park operations?
A. A cemetery created as a cemetery cannot be turned into a park. Mutumbi Park cemetery’s operational life is less than 10 years and once it ceases, long-term sustainable revenue solutions are required to maintain the land. A park cannot be made overnight and these revenue streams and services need to be developed before the cemetery is full. The visual images in people’s minds of cemetery operations in Lusaka are very poor – we need to create new images and new word associations. Remember churches are used for many functions including Christenings, Services, Children’s Events, Weddings and Funerals. People do not say you cannot mix these events in the same building. In some countries the churchyard is also a cemetery.
