Artists Alliance Gallery, Accra, Ghana

We made a stop at the Artists Alliance Gallery or Omanye House where you can navigate three floors of various art forms presented by top artists in Ghana. Here you will find batik, Kente and Adinkra cloth, ceramics, beads, wood carvings, paintings and of course the fantasy coffin. 

What's a fantasy coffin, and who gets buried in it? Generally, Ghanaians are buried in regular coffins or caskets. However, you or your family could  choose a fantasy coffin for the burial. These coffins are carved based on the occupation of the deceased. For example, if you were a pilot, they could carve a coffin that looks like an airplane, if a preacher, your coffin could look like a Bible, a wealthy person could be buried in a Mercedes Benz or Bentley. A fisherman could be buried in a coffin shaped like a fish or a crab. What about a cocoa farmer? He could be buried in a cocoa pod shaped coffin.  Over the years these fantasy coffins have become collector items that have been exhibited in museums around the world. The Minneapolis Institute of Arts owns one of these fantasy coffins.

I caught the video in traffic. You can see the coffin being carried to the venue where the family and friends have gathered.