Coffin makers in Ghana craft elaborate wooden caskets shaped like shoes, guitars, microphones and other objects that reflect the life and interests of the deceased. Carpenters sand, paint and finish the designs before they are taken to funerals and lowered into graves.
The tradition is particularly associated with Ga communities around Ghana's capital, Accra. Customers typically select a shape linked to the deceased's work, interests or passions.
Coffin makers say the designs reflect a belief that people continue in the afterlife what they did during their lifetime.



