Death Finally Becomes Something to Look Forward To as Ghanaians Embrace Outrageous Fantasy Coffins

Death

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A crab fantasy coffin crafted by Eric Kpakpo Adotey is displayed by his shop in La, Accra, Ghana

ACCRA, GHANA — For centuries, the Grim Reaper has had a branding problem. Black cloaks. Skulls. Eternal darkness. It’s been a tough sell. But in Ghana, a growing trend is flipping that script: death, once feared, is now basically a party with a killer runway show.

Enter fantasy coffins—custom-made caskets shaped like giant fish, birds, beer bottles, and full-size airplanes. Once seen as a quirky novelty, these coffins have turned Ghana’s funerals into what looks suspiciously like a cross between the Met Gala and a Spirit Airlines ad.

“I used to dread the idea of dying,” said Kwame Asare, 52, while inspecting his pre-ordered Mercedes-Benz-shaped coffin. “Now I can’t wait to be the freshest corpse in town. I’ll be buried like a CEO who died at a car show.”

The trend began decades ago with a few master coffin makers in the Ga community near Accra, but has recently gone global. Social media videos of massive chili-pepper-shaped coffins being carried down the street have gone viral, racking up millions of views and making TikTok users worldwide whisper, “Wait… funerals can be… fun?”

Fantasy coffins crafted by Nicholas and his family are displayed at their showroom

Coffin makers say business has never been better. “We used to sell one or two a week,” said master craftsman Joseph Mensah, who is currently finishing a 12-foot-long coffin shaped like an iPhone 16 Pro Max. “Now people are pre-ordering years in advance. We have a waiting list for death.”

The trend has sparked fierce competition among Ghana’s living citizens, who increasingly view their coffin as a kind of posthumous Instagram flex. “Traditional coffins are for amateurs,” said Ama Nyarko, 37, who has commissioned a solid-gold pineapple-shaped casket for her eventual passing. “When I die, people will know I lived—and also that I loved smoothies.”

Funeral planners report a dramatic shift in tone. Mourners now show up dressed to match the deceased’s coffin theme. At one recent ceremony, attendees wore pilot hats and drank mini bottles of gin to honor a man buried in a Boeing 747-shaped coffin.

“It’s like Coachella,” said one attendee. “But everyone’s crying.”

Religious leaders, meanwhile, are split. Some praise the coffins for making death less frightening. Others say the practice risks turning a sacred passage into a “macabre talent show.”

Despite the controversy, Ghana’s coffin industry shows no signs of slowing down. Local artisans are already experimenting with interactive coffins—like one shaped like a giant flat-screen TV playing the deceased’s greatest life moments, and another designed like a luxury resort suite complete with fake palm trees.

A peacock-shaped miniature fantasy coffin prototype crafted by Nicholas Ablorh Annan

“I’m working on a coffin shaped like an entire TikTok ring light,” Mensah said proudly. “You’ll be the main character even at your own funeral.”

Back at the workshop, Kwame Asare beamed at his polished Mercedes-Benz coffin. “I used to fear death,” he said, running his hand along the faux leather interior. “Now it feels like I’m just waiting for the valet to pull up.”

As Ghana’s funerals become ever more extravagant, one thing is clear: in a world obsessed with making an impression, even the afterlife has become a runway.

“Death used to be the end,” Mensah said. “Now it’s just your final, fabulous debut.”

How much fun can you have in death? Move to Ghana and find out!