A Zimbabwean Funeral Live Streamed From The Church of the Holy Apostles, Pimlico
I'm Shaun, and a few weeks ago I had the privilege of providing the Funeral Streaming for a Zimbabwean family at the Church of the Holy Apostles on Cumberland Street in Pimlico, central London. This was the service of Percy Bruno Gochera Murombe-Chivero, a much-loved gentleman whose family originally came from Zimbabwe, and whose life had touched people right across the world.
It was one of those services that stays with you. From the moment the coffin was carried into the church to the incredible African singing, through to the same singing as he was carried out again at the end, the whole service was filled with music, colour and love. The family and many of the congregation were dressed in beautiful traditional dress (as you can see above) in rich pinks and reds, and throughout the service there was African music during the viewing where everyone paid their respects, hymns, songs and readings, with family and friends sharing tributes to an extraordinary man. It was a heartfelt, joyful and deeply moving farewell.
Bringing the world together for the service
A funeral like this brings together people from all over the world — and that is exactly where live streaming earns its place. Altogether 571 people followed the service live, across nine countries, joining from wherever they were to be part of the day in real time.
The viewers joined from:
🇬🇧 United Kingdom, England — 321
🇿🇼 Zimbabwe, Harare — 179
🇬🇧 United Kingdom (other regions) — 18
🇿🇦 South Africa, Western Cape — 12
🇬🇧 United Kingdom, Northern Ireland — 7
🇵🇱 Poland — 7
🇬🇧 United Kingdom, Scotland — 5
🇳🇱 Netherlands, Noord-Holland — 3
🇬🇧 United Kingdom, Wales — 3
🇿🇦 South Africa (Gauteng & KwaZulu-Natal) — 4
🇺🇸 United States (Washington, Illinois, Texas, Virginia and more) — 7
🇯🇪 Jersey — 2
🇭🇺 Hungary, Budapest — 2
🇨🇭 Switzerland, Genève — 1
For the family in Harare especially — where 179 people watched — being able to share in the service as it happened, thousands of miles away, meant they were not separated from the farewell by distance. That is the whole reason I do this work.
Filming a service like this with care
A service this full of movement, music and emotion deserves to be captured properly. I arrived early, set up quietly before guests arrived, and worked discreetly throughout so that nothing drew attention away from the family or the service. The stream ran on a stable, reliable connection so that everyone watching at home — particularly those overseas — could follow every hymn, tribute and reading clearly, and the family has a full recording to keep and revisit whenever they wish.
The result was that family and friends across nine countries, who could not all be in Pimlico in person, were genuinely part of the day — hearing the singing, seeing the colour, and sharing in a beautiful tribute to a remarkable man. It was an honour to help his family give Percy the send-off he deserved.
Funeral live streaming in Pimlico and central London
I provide professional funeral live streaming, videography and photography at churches, crematoria, natural burial grounds and venues across Pimlico, Westminster, the whole of London and the rest of the UK. I have particular experience with Caribbean, African and Zimbabwean funerals, where services often bring together loved ones from many different countries.
If you are arranging a funeral or celebration of life in Pimlico or central London and would like to discuss live streaming, filming or hiring me as a funeral photographer, I would be honoured to help. Call or text me on 07772 509101 — seven days a week, 9am to 10pm — or get in touch online.