Checking Out: Creative Caskets

Funerals are immensely important in Ghana, and they are held on Saturdays. It’s not unusual to see groups of people dressed in black or red walking down the rural dirt roads to a funeral.

In the city, a funeral of a wealthy person is another phenomenon altogether. The more important the deceased, the more elaborate the funeral.

In Teshie, just east of Accra, a family of coffin makers has developed its business to a high art form, in which special-order coffins match the occupation of the deceased. It seems a shame that they are seen only during the funeral procession; then they are buried. Pictured here are special-order caskets for an airline pilot, a Coca-Cola afficianado, a pineapple lover, a dairyman and, it seems, the ultimate poultry man. Frank Perdue, eat your heart out!