The tradition of creating fantasy coffins originated from the Ga people in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana where chiefs are often transported via palanquins (also known as sedan chairs) during traditional festivals, and some chiefs would choose to be buried within those structures.

In the 1950s, Seth Kane Kwei (1922–1992), a young carpenter, made a palanquin in the shape of a cocoa pod for one such chief. Unfortunately, the chief died unexpectedly before the festival, so he was buried in the palanquin instead. At his funeral, the unique coffin drew many admirers.

Not long after this, Kane Kwei's grandmother died. Growing up in a coastal suburb near Accra's airport, she had always been mystified by the planes flying overhead. However, she never got the chance to take a flight. Remembering the enthusiasm of the crowds at the chief's funeral a few months earlier, Kane Kwei decided to commemorate her death by giving her something she had not been able to accomplish in life. He buried her in a coffin shaped like an plane, so that she could fly into the afterlife.

Within a few weeks, local people began to request unique coffins: fishermen asked for boats or fish; a farmer, for an onion; etc. The coffins, also popularly known as abebuu adekai or "proverb boxes”, due to the symbolic meaning behind each design, soon became one of Ghana's most unique traditions.

Since then, the tradition has evolved, and various skilled artisans, (including Kane Kwei's descendants, see HERE), continue to create these crazily unique and personalised coffins, using simple handmade tools to sand and carve the wood into the required form, before specialist painters get to work on the finishes.

Kane Kwei did not invent the new art form, but he is credited to be the one who democratised it. What used to be a ritual only available to the elite became available to a broader circle … albeit at a price. Coffins like this can cost up to US$1,000 … a huge amount for the farmers, most of whom earn less than US$3 a day. For this reason community members often chip in to help with the costs of making a coffin. It pays to make lots of friends during your Ghanaian life.

Ghanaian fantasy coffins have been exhibited in art galleries around the world. In 1989 they achieved international recognition as works of art, thanks to their successive display in exhibitions: “Magiciens de la terre” at Musée National d'Art Moderne (Centre Georges Pompidou) in Paris; and "Africa Explores” (1992) at the New Museum of Modern Art in New York. As a result of this exposure, customers in more than 20 countries have ordered these coffins over the past few decades.

It seems that you no longer need to be a Ghanaian chief or high-status individual, to be buried inside a coffin shaped like a fish, a cell phone or a shoe.

Story Idea: Greg Ross, Futility Closet
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References

wikipedia.org/wiki/Fantasy_coffin
wikipedia.org/wiki/Kane_Kwei_Carpentry_Workshop
kanekwei.com
easteast.world/posts/282
bbc.com/news/world-africa-46142977
nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel/2021/01/fantasy-coffin-designers-accra
jstor.org/stable/43306191

Images

1. Ghanaian Fantasy Coffins: Fish
2. Greater Accra Region of Ghana in West Africa. Source: Google Maps.
3. Seth Kane Kwei, Coffin in the shape of a cocoa pod, 1970. Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Gift of Vivian Burns, Inc. Photo: Randy Dodson for the museum.
4. Seth Kane Kwei in 1987 next to plane coffin. Photo: Roberta Bonetti.
5. Kane Kwei workshop. Photo: Fellipe Abreu.
6. Chilli pepper coffin. Photo: Fellipe Abreu.
7. Fish by Paa Joe, 2004
8. Microphone coffin for a singer
9. Painting the fish
10. Lobster by Sennah Slyvester, 2000
11. Corn
12. Twix for a sweet toothed departed
13. Running shoe by Paa Joe
14. Pineapple … but not Upside Down ;)
15. Cause of death?
16. Camera coffin. Photo: Roberta Bonetti.
17. Video: Aquarius Coffins promotion for Brazilian soft drink