ACCRA – Intricately designed coffins shaped like a giant pink fish, colorful peacocks, or an airplane adorned with the national flag are just some examples of Ghana’s unique “fantasy coffins,” also known as Abebuo, meaning “proverb.”

These coffins are not only for burial but also capture the essence of the deceased’s life. A farmer, for instance, would rest not in a generic coffin but one shaped like his farm tools or the crops he nurtured. The coffin itself is a metaphor, a crafted riddle, a final message expressing life’s story.

Especially prevalent among the Ga people of Accra, fantasy coffins are gaining popularity as a vibrant alternative to traditional ones, providing a visual narrative of one’s life.

Upon a loved one’s death, families come together to determine how to honor them. They visit a carpentry workshop, sometimes with specific ideas in mind, or they rely on the carpenters’ expertise to propose an apt representation.

The choice is personal and significant. A fishmonger might be immortalized in a fish-shaped coffin, reflecting the kind he sold. Coffins shaped like lions are exclusive to chiefs, symbolizing power. In Labadi, a suburb of Accra, noble families use the rooster design, an emblem linked to their lineage. The selection of a coffin is deliberate, reflecting one’s identity, profession, and social standing.

Crafting such a coffin takes about two weeks. The price, starting at approximately $700, depends on materials and the intricacy of the design.

Funerals in Ghana are vibrant affairs. People see them as a final opportunity to honor the deceased, sparing no expense on ceremonies that feature music, dancing and vivid displays of cultural heritage.

But while families see fantasy coffins as tributes, collectors see them as art.

Nicolas Ablorh Annan, a coffin maker from Accra, said that while the practice of burying loved ones in fantasy coffins started among the Ga people, it has expanded across Ghana. For his family, it is merely a business. His great-grandfather started it, he said, and they continue to run it as a family enterprise, with no ties to the rituals.

Some coffins never hold bodies at all, destined instead for museums abroad. Annan said that international interest is growing, with many foreign clients ordering coffins primarily for exhibitions as art pieces. Currently, he is working on six fantasy coffins that will be shipped abroad the following week.

At funerals, the presence of a fantasy coffin transforms everything. Mourners burdened with grief find themselves captivated by the craftsmanship, the vivid colours, the detailed shapes, the boundless imagination.

“People forget for a moment what’s inside; they admire the coffin and the atmosphere shifts,” said Eric Kpakpo Adotey, a carpenter who specializes in fantasy coffins.

Laughter blends with tears, and the sorrow is softened by creativity. For those left behind, each coffin is more than a final resting place. It is a story carved in wood, a proverb to be read.

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