One of the largest cemeteries in South Africa, Avalon was founded in the midst of the Apartheid era and thus is the final resting place for a number of prominent activists, including Hector Pieterson and Helen Joseph. In recent years, however, it has seen its capacity strained by a surge of AIDS-related deaths. We visited on a Saturday, the primary burial day, to pay witness to the tragedy of contemporary South Africa, and we were definitely not alone