Meet Ghana’s Fantasy Coffin Makers: A Glimpse Into a Joy-Filled Funeral Culture

A coffin maker in Ghana (Getty)
A coffin maker in Ghana (Getty)
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Meet Ghana’s Fantasy Coffin Makers: A Glimpse Into a Joy-Filled Funeral Culture

A coffin maker in Ghana (Getty)
A coffin maker in Ghana (Getty)

It’s hard to miss the coffin shaped like an old Nokia brick phone at the entrance of the sunlit workshop on the outskirts of Accra.

Here, on a busy road next to Ghana’s Atlantic coastline, Eric Kpakpo Adotey and his small team of craftsmen spend each day working in the thick humidity to bring people’s creative final wishes to life, said a report by The Independent.

“Most of the time, people don't cry when they see these ones,” Eric explained as he zigzagged between a coffin shaped like a Nike trainer and another in the form of an intricately detailed, pink fish.

“They forget there's a body in this coffin,” he added, the sounds of carpentry tools hammering away around him. “They all talk about the design, the art, the shape of it... it change[s] the atmosphere.”

Visiting a coffin maker is hardly at the top of many travelers’ bucket lists, but it should be if you visit Ghana.

In this vibrant West African nation, death isn’t mourned in the sober ways you may expect.

For many, it’s also a time of celebration, carried out in prolonged, colorful ceremonies full of music and dancing that can span multiple days.

One of the more unique traditions adopted into Ghanaian funerary culture is the use of fantasy coffins that carry the dead into the afterlife, just like the ones Eric has crafted for the last 25 years.

Locally referred to as abebu adekai (proverbial coffins), these figurative designs have been primarily used by the Ga people, one of Ghana's ethnic groups, since around the 1950s.

They’re typically crafted to resemble a person’s trade and symbolise the work they’ll continue in the afterlife, like a cocoa bean for a cocoa farmer or a fish for a fisherman.
Painted in striking colors and finished with minuscule details, they could easily pass for impressive sculptures rather than their more solemn use.



Film Commission Expands Local Cinema Engagement with Workshops and Film Nights

Film Commission Expands Local Cinema Engagement with Workshops and Film Nights
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Film Commission Expands Local Cinema Engagement with Workshops and Film Nights

Film Commission Expands Local Cinema Engagement with Workshops and Film Nights

The Film Commission has launched the second edition of its local film community engagement initiative, featuring 12 diverse discussion workshops and four cinema nights across Riyadh, Al-Ahsa, Hail, and Taif.

This initiative aims to foster communication and exchange of expertise between professionals and amateurs, enhance the skills of local filmmakers, and build a vibrant cinematic community through training and cultural activities. Targeting creatives, students, and amateurs, it includes workshops on scriptwriting, directing, cinematography, and production, SPA reported.

Cinema nights will showcase local and international films, accompanied by discussions promoting cinema as a cultural and artistic medium.

This initiative reflects the commission's commitment to collaborative efforts with local cultural institutions, art centers, cultural associations, and educational bodies, promoting sustainability in cultural impact and highlighting regional heritage.

The first edition of this initiative had a significant impact, comprising 35 workshops across the Kingdom, with over 800 participants and more than 100 hours of discussions.

This initiative is part of the Film Commission's ongoing efforts to develop the local film industry and strengthen ties with experts, academics, and critics.