Ghana’s port city of Tema is about 40Kms from Accra, the capital. There are two main roads to get there from Accra. The most common and preferred route is the Tema Motorway, a dual carriage expressway with traffic whizzing at a 100Kmph, which will get you there in about 30 minutes. The other is the more picturesque Beach Road which will take you past the Labadi Beach Hotel (where the likes of George W Bush Jr. and Queen Elizabeth have stayed during their official visits), past the Ghana Military Academy, past the popular Next Door restaurant (the best sea food in Ghana) , and then past Teshie-Nungua. Thereafter it continues along the sea front, past the Ghana Maritime Academy all the way to the Tema Harbour.
Teshie- Nungua is just another small town, like many other small towns that dot Ghana. It’s mainly populated by the Ga people, who are natives of this area. It’s proximity to Accra has now accelerated its shift to urbanity, it has now become an extended suburb of Accra with many people working in Accra residing here due to lower rents and costs. But Teshie-Nungua’s traditional claim to fame has been its unique industry – Coffin Making. Not just ordinary caskets, but ‘Fantasy Coffins’ as they are called. And as you drive through Teshie-Nungua, you will notice these shops on both sides of the road, displaying their wares.
These coffins are individually handcrafted by the Ga cabinet makers, but far from being just ordinary caskets, they are carved into almost any shape that you can imagine. As such, your choice of one of these is meant to be a reflection of what your life has been, but this choice is limited only by your imagination. You can choose to get buried in a Fish, a Benz Car, a Rooster, a Piano, a Coca-Cola Bottle or even a Nokia Phone. Made from the finest quality wood and comfortably lined with soft velvet, they could set you back by anything upto $ 3,000. A small price to pay for your last journey if you wish to arrive at Pearly Gates in comfort and style.
Ghana is a relatively small country and a funeral is considered to be an extremely important social event. Funerals take place only on Saturdays and are attended by large numbers of people. After sick leave, ‘Attending a Funeral’ is the most common reason for staying away from work. Often, families get whole reams of dress material printed with pictures of the deceased especially for the funeral and all guests and family members are expected to wear this when they come to the ceremony.
A person’s death is a time for celebrating the glory of his life and the mourning of his passing away is secondary. Often, a year or more may elapse between a person’s death and his burial and the more important the person, the longer it takes to sort out his affairs. Relatives, even wives and children hitherto unheard of by the family, are known to suddenly show up at the doorstep of the deceased’s family, claiming kinship and hence a share of the estate. It is only after all these issues have been resolved that the funeral can happen. Till then all members of the family must dress only in black or red while the body is kept in a mortuary.
Ghanaians spend huge sums of money on funerals to give their departed ones a befitting farewell. A casual observer, seeing the festivities and the scale of the celebrations may well mistake the event for a wedding function, except that here every one is wearing only red or black. It is a time for celebration and closure and is marked with song and dancing. Often, Dancing Pallbearers take the coffin to the grave in their own special style.
Some years ago, Bill Clinton paid a private visit to Ghana and rumor has it that he too has ordered a Fantasy Casket for himself at one of these places. True or not is something we’ll find out only at the State Funeral. May God give him a long and healthy life in the meantime.
As an after script, let me add a link to a recent incident which is not much different from the above