Rest in peace and art: Ghanaians are putting the fun into funerals by getting buried in artsy coffins shaped like animals and even Coke bottles

Coffins in Ghana are decorated to represent the personalities of the dead. Lewis Jennings reports on why

IN GHANA, FUNERALS are extravagant affairs: a social gathering for everyone, including extremely distant relatives and those who barely knew the deceased. And what better way to celebrate one’s life than through a fantasy coffin? Coffin artists, as they are called, have developed a unique trade in parts of Ghana for abebuu adekai, a “proverb coffin”. The flamboyant caskets, which are designed to reflect the personality or occupation of the departed, show how some Ghanaians are keen to put the “fun” into funeral. Coffins can be shaped like animals, or aeroplanes, or even a bottle of Coca Cola.

A coffin workshop in Accra, Ghana. The Ga tribe believe a coffin should reflect the lifestyle of the deceased

CREDIT: Roderick Macmillan/Picfair

Paa Joe, a Ghanaian master craftsman, is considered one of the most important pioneers in the trade and is the subject of several documentaries covering fantasy coffins. But art curator and writer Nana Osei Kwadwo, who spoke to Joe, told Index that not everyone approved.

“Paa Joe told me how people were not receptive of his coffins, with some saying he’s making a mockery of death,” he said.

Kwadwo says many Ghanaians see death as a painful stage in life. While Kwadwo understands why fantasy coffins can be viewed as a travesty, he also believes they can be a good way for people to express emotion over the death of a loved one.

“For a family to bury a relative in a fantasy coffin, it shows how they cherished the dead person and how gloriously they want the deceased to transition into the ancestral world,” he said.

Teshie-Nungua, a small town in southern Ghana, is famous for its fantasy coffin tradition. Local man Don Chikara told Index: “A chief fisherman residing along the coast, providing he’s well-to-do, may want to be buried in a replica canoe coffin. Same applies to a hunter who may be buried in the belly of a replica gun, to signify what he represented while alive.

“But take a royal, a king, for example, buried in an artsy coffin. This is usually dictated by very strict cultural and traditional rites and practices which have to be followed to the letter. There are clans with animals as their totem symbols, so if you’re a king, or clan head with a ‘filthy rat’ as your totem, your artsy coffin will be a replica of a rat. And there, inside the belly of a rat, is exactly where your cadaver is placed before you’re buried.”

Taking between two and six weeks to produce, depending on the complexity of the construction and the carpenter’s experience, a coffin typically costs around $400. It can be seen as a status symbol, so even though the amount is extortionate for many in Ghana, the price tag does not stop grieving families from forking out.

Chikara added: “Interestingly, the person may have been financially low on the status ladder. But, upon their death, there’s often a show of affluence from the bereaved family, going to any lengths to secure a beautiful coffin. Ironically, while the deceased may have been alive and needed help, he or she may have been ignored – only for a show of affluence after their demise.”

Is this something Chikara would go in for? He thinks not. “An artsy coffin for me? Not for me.”