5 super ‘entertaining’ things Africans do at funerals to see off the dead in style

Etsey Atisu July 21, 2019
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Fantasy Coffins

But it gets really crazy from this point. Coffins in Africa aren’t so regular. If you are lucky enough to attend a funeral in Africa, you might just see one of these stylish coffins.

According to their designers, these personalized and often spectacular designs are made as a way of paying tribute to the occupants. And the way that is done in most cases is to design a depiction of a thing that was synonymous with their lives.

So, imagine being a doctor and then at your funeral, your coffin is designed as either a stethoscope or a syringe. And if you were a chief or any such person from a royal clan, you might as well travel your last journey in this life in a specially designed Ahenemma – traditional slippers worn mostly by royals in Ghana.

The abebuu adekai spread rapidly through the Greater Accra Region, with many of the leading figures emerging from the Kane Kwei stable. <br /><br />Legendary carpenter Paa Joe, seen with a piano design, was Kwei's nephew and apprentice, and he went on to establish his own popular studio.
Courtesy: edition.cnn.com

And the list goes on: a driver for a car-coffin, a phone repairer for a mobile phone-coffin, a fisherman for a fish-coffin, a shoemaker for a shoe-coffin, among many other unimaginable designs.

Funerals are often uplifting occasions in Ghana, where it is widely believed that death is the beginning of an afterlife, and the deceased should receive a rapturous send off. <br /><br />A tradition has emerged within this culture of "proverb coffins" (abebuu adekai), which pay tribute to the occupant with a personalized and often spectacular design.
Stylish coffins crafted for different people | edition.cnn.com

Last Edited by:Ismail Akwei Updated: July 21, 2019

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