LIVING WITH THE DEADS

Reading an article about life in the cemeteries in Manila, I was curious to see reality. As I visit Manila several times a year, I decided to start this journey. My entire project was done at the cemeteries, North Manila, South Manila, Navotas and Manila Memorial Park. The project was carried out during several visits to Manila and takeas about 3 years. "Manila is one of the world’s most densely populated cities, as migrants from the countryside have poured in seeking better opportunities. On arrival, the majority find little work and nowhere to live except self-built communities. Some of these slums have developed inside public cemeteries. People sleep in haphazard shanties built on top of graves, or inside mausoleums. It’s free, but there are no basic services such as sanitation, electricity and clean water, let alone adequate shelter. Cemetery slums have existed here since the 1950s, and generations of families now live in Manila North, the oldest and largest cemetery in the city. An expansive 54 hectares (133 acres), it is home to an estimated 6,000 slum-dwellers from 800 families, as well as one million dead. Some of the community are caretakers, paid by relatives of the dead to maintain the graves; the fee can be as little as 600 pesos (£9) a year. Other residents own makeshift stores or work as masons, carving headstones for the 80-100 funerals that take place daily." The Guardian.