Have you ever thought about your funeral?

Maybe not, but it’s a big deal in Ghana, where loved ones believe that the dead should get the best possible send-off.

Funerals are elaborate affairs, and the coffins that become the final resting place of the dead are works of art in their own right.

They’re called ‘fantasy coffins’, reports the BBC, and they reflect the life, dreams, passions and status of the dead.

Journalists Fellipe Abreu and Henrique Hedler visited two Kane Kwei Carpentry Workshops, in the capital Accra and the southern city of Kumasi, to meet the carpenters making custom-made coffins.

The shops are named after Seth Kane Kwei, who some say first designed fantasy coffins in Ghana.

Coffins, like the ones below, can cost up to $1 000 (almost R14 000). The coffins generally reflect the occupation or social status of the deceased.

The coffin below reflects a recent book in the real estate sector in Ghana. This coffin is for a landlord who was appreciated by his community for building and renting homes to them.

The loved ones of the deceased will buy the coffin and pay for the funeral, which takes place over a number of days.

“The ceremony happens from Thursday to Monday. On Thursday the family gets the coffin; on Friday the body is brought from the mortuary; on Saturday the funeral takes places, while on Sunday people go to church. On Monday family members count the money that was invested and donated,” Mr Adjetey says.

The palanquin and queen below is actually not a coffin, but was custom-made for an art gallery in Philadelphia in the US.

The car next to it is a coffin, though:

In recent years, other carpenters have started making coffins to meet the rise in demand. To date, people from over 20 countries have purchased fantasy coffins.

The one above is for a child. Aircraft are a popular choice for coffins, because the plane is symbolic of a successful journey into the afterlife.

The Mercedes Benz coffin above is a common design because it represents the high social and economic status of the deceased.

To finish, a chilli coffin, where your guess is as good as mine.

Still, not a bad way to exit the world.

[source:bbc]