Inside The Studio Apartment-Like Tomb Of Beenie Man’s Late Mother

Dancehall veteran Beenie Man has given fans another glimpse into the special tomb or ‘grave house’ that he had built for his mother, Lilieth Sewell.

Sewell, affectionately known as “Mama Lilieth” died in September last year after suffering a stroke.  Unable to cope on the day of her funeral, Beenie Man fainted and was ushered away from the site by four men.

In a new look inside the structure, which he shared on Instagram Live yesterday, it closer resembles a studio apartment than a gravesite with a mirror, sofa, chairs, gold curtains and a tiled floor with the tomb in the middle.

The structure is located in Shrewsbury, St Elizabeth, the hometown of his mother.  Beenie’s grandmother is also buried on a family plot within the community.

It seems the deejay wanted to update his fans as to how the tomb looked now. “Yah suh mi deh, mi and mi mada a whole a vibes,” he said while giving the virtual tour yesterday.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CNYGHQmB1bH/

Earlier this year in January, on what would have been her 64th birthday, the singer visited the tomb which was in the early stages of being set up.

At that time he explained why he felt compelled to build the structure for his mother.

“See mi mada yah, a her birthday, she dis, yah so she lie down, yah so mi put har to rest. This is the serious point about it. To how mi love mi mada, mi couldn’t bury har under the ground, mi haffi have har close. Mi nuh know still, mi love my mada different, mi nuh know bout no other people and dem mada, my ting different.”

He added, “It’s not a mourning session and it’s not a session to cry. It’s not a session to shed tears or nothing. It’s a session to just hold a vibes cause mi whole entire family is here… So everybody join we online, do not join us here else mi a go a jail again.”

The Romie singer through his foundation The Beenie Man Foundation recently helped to erect a sign in the Shrewsbury District of Cotterwood, St Elizabeth. The area had been without any signage. On Monday, March 22 he, his daughter Xia and his son Mosiah Davis unveiled the new sign. It was another sign of respect for his mother.

“My mother and grandmother are originally from the community and I plan on visiting the area more often to get more connected to my family,” he said at the unveiling. He added: “I saw the need for a sign because there is no official signage or anything directing persons to the community.”

In October 2020, Beenie and his Foundation also revealed that they would be dedicating a center to the Waterhouse community in honor of his recently departed mother and his paternal grandfather.

While Beenie Man has explained why he chose to build such a monumental abode of rest for his mother, the trend of lavish tombs seems to be catching on in Jamaica.

One businessman, Mervin Davis, who is involved in the trade explained to the Observer in 2020 why he believes people are opting for funeral houses instead of regular graves.

“We find that it was a way for people to come back and look for them family without feeling ‘fraid. You know how people ‘fraid of cemeteries and duppy? So we find a way to minimise that by making graves more attractive,” Mervin said.

It is a way, he added, to put smiles on the faces of grieving families.

Another businessman Burchell Salmon, who is also involved in the funeral housing industry, has built tombs that are shaped like aeroplanes, ships, cathedrals, and castles. He too admitted that there has been an increase in his services when he was interviewed by the Gleaner.  “I ask the people about their choices and then go about the designs … . It is a gift from the Father, I just think it up and do it,” Salmon said. “I don’t really sketch anything before I start, I just do it from the brain”.