jamestown, old accra

coffin makers in Teshie village

 A funeral in Ghana can be a friday - sunday party fest. The deceased are carried on shoulders in ridiculously made boxes then paraded through crowded streets full of relatives, friends, and strangers looking to party. Death is seen as an immediate transition to your ancestors. Holding massive party funerals with large amounts of gifts, food, and drinks pays direct homage to the family tree.

 Unfinished work for a King in Northern Ghana whom passed away two months ago.

 

 Many coffins represent the persons occupation (construction, police officer, fisherman) or hobby (beer, cakes, cell phones).

The coffins are often destroyed before the actual burial due to coffin theft.