Ghanaians take great pride in making coffins that reflect the life, dreams, passions and status of the dead.

Loved ones believe the dead should get the best possible send-off, with funerals being elaborate affairs.

Journalists Fellipe Abreu and Henrique Hedler visited two Kane Kwei Carpentry Workshops, in the capital Accra and the southern city of Kumasi, to meet the carpenters making custom-made coffins.

The shops are named after Seth Kane Kwei, who some say first designed fantasy coffins in Ghana. With Ghana being one of the world's largest cocoa producers, families in rural areas collect and save their hard-earned money to bury the deceased in custom-made cocoa pods.

Coffins like this can cost up to $1,000 (£780) - a huge amount for the farmers, most of whom earn less than $3 a day.Generally, the coffin designs reflect the occupation or status of the deceased. In this case "the chilli pepper carries a symbolic meaning that goes well beyond the life of a farmer," says workshop manager Eric Adjetey, who's been in the business for 50 years.

The red colour and spiciness represents the personality of that person. "He was hot and temperamental, a person you don't want to mess around with." Coffins in the style of a Mercedes Benz are popular - this one is for a wealthy man who owned the German-made car, and his grave will be dug to fit it.

"This is one of the most commonly used coffins. It represents the person's high social status," says coffin maker Steve Ansah. Most people call the pieces of art fantasy coffins, but they are locally called Abeduu Adekai, which means "proverb boxes".

This is because there is a symbolic meaning behind each design. Aeroplanes are also among the popular designs. This one is for a child. It symbolizes his successful journey to the afterlife.

Sometimes community members chip in to help with the costs of making a coffin. In recent years, the real estate sector has boomed in Ghana. This coffin is for a landlord who was widely appreciated by his community for building and renting homes to them.

"Generally, it's the responsibility of loved ones and family members to buy the coffin for the deceased. But they also have to pay for the ceremony, including buying food and drink, and clothing for the deceased."

"The ceremony happens from Thursday to Monday. On Thursday the family gets the coffin; on Friday the body is brought from the mortuary; on Saturday the funeral takes places, while on Sunday people go to church. On Monday family members count the money that was invested and donated," Mr Adjetey says. Carpenters carve the coffin, then sand it to create a uniform surface ready to be painted. A local singer will be buried in this microphone-shaped coffin.

"We don't know the person's size so we ask the family, or even rely on photos," says Mr Ansah, the carpenter. In recent years, other carpenters have started making custom-made coffins to meet the booming local demand. The palanquin and queen is actually not a coffin, it was custom-made for an art gallery in Philadelphia in the US.

Customers in more than 20 countries have bought these coffins over the last decades.

The coffin designs have also attracted interest from woodworking students in South Korea, Russia, US and Denmark, who have come to Ghana to learn the trade.

Local carpenters often use simple handmade tools to sand the wood and carve the wood into a coffin shape.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-46142977

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Africans and low mentality, I know some will argue that this is creativity but for me, this is crap. What has this waste of time got to do with the deceased. The deceased knows nothing.

Great Africans, inventors of silly and useless things.

Africa only good at inventing useless inventions. Of all that needs to be created they chose a fantasy coffin.

What does that even mean?

Smooth ride to the other world

Hehe, more food for the termites..

Ghanaian would never cease to amaze us... How to die in style

Hate or love them, Ghanians are uniquely funny... Their cravings are always out of this world...

Make una buy my generator na abeg... I wan follow dey alright this December

Pls check my signature

Shallow mentality, how someone that earn less than $3 a day, choose to be buried in a $1000 coffin?

Hello Nairalanders

Hmmmmmmmmnn!

That na why I like muslims..

Nigerianiski:
Hello Nairalanders

We don see you, if that is the real you...now next

That Cucumber coffin make dem use am bury Chidima Cucumber. Lolzzz

Nigeria is just the only country that doesn't believe in death... preparing for it is a taboo and un heard of.. that was why insurance companies that does health (funeral cover ) will never make it in that country... Just look at the condemnation up there on this thread...

Oh Africa my Africa,
How tall you should have stand before the world.
Now you are fallen by the err of your heir.

When will people come to realise that the deceased has no value? It hurt me to see how people go into huge debt just to bury a corpse; the food of termites and worms? A continetal campaign should be organised across Africa so an end will be put to this madness.

Ahh

I no want ooooo

Las las, termites and worms will devour their so called remodelling.

Instead of African countries in general to channel their creativity and resources to a superb invention, they are busy remodelling thrash.
The next thing now is remodelling of pencils.

What a useless invention

Yoshy:

We don see you, if that is the real you...now next

Lol,na dude i b my guy

Coffins like this can cost up to $1,000 (£780) - a huge amount for the farmers, most of whom earn less than $3 a day


Here got me. Misplaced priorities

Shebi na Ghana?
Them dey suffer from nagana na
Because if them dey woke how this one wan take happen na?

MajorJeffery:
Great Africans, inventors of silly and useless things.

Nigerianiski:
Lol,na dude i b my guy

Lol

No matter how you design a coffin, coffin is never beautiful!

hmmm Africans









am in to tiles business...I sale all kinds of ceramics tiles and accessories.pls patronize me.... check my signature

Its creative though hope its not expensive sha