The Artist

Ghana, West Africa 2000

These fanciful coffins are manufactured in the coastal city of Accra. At the time, I was told that if a tourist wanted to buy one as art, the price would be $2000.00 USD.  As I said in an earlier post, the coffins can be anything a person can imagine, but usually they tell something about the dead person. Perhaps this person dreamed of flying or maybe just liked birds…if they were drinkers, the coffin makers would build them a large bottle of beer with the label of their favorite brand.

You can see some of the factory’s creations here:  http://www.rosemarysheel.com/archives/ghanas-funerals

That is the factory in the background. The few factories we saw were similar…sheds to protect things during a rain. Men worked outside.