Ghaniana coffin makers craft elaborate wooden caskets shaped like shoes, guitars and microphones, turning funerals into a final reflection of the deceased’s life.
This footage shows carpenters sanding, painting and finishing the unusual designs before a guitar-shaped coffin is taken to a funeral and later lowered into a grave.
The tradition is particularly associated with Ga communities around Ghana’s capital, Accra. Customers often choose a shape linked to the loved one’s work, interests or passions.
Coffin makers say the designs reflect a belief that people continue what they did during their lifetime in the afterlife.