The Coffin Dancers are a troupe of pallbearers who are hired for carrying the coffin to the dead’s final resting place in their own unique way. The dancing group is from Ghana. They are now in demand. Ghanaian people hire them to make their loved one’s last rite upbeat and give them a final dancing trip.
The founder of the dancing pallbearers’ group, Benjamin Aidoo started his business in 2010. The business has created more than 100 jobs in Ghana for young men and women. Aidoo says in an interview that he always asks his customer about their requirements: “Do you want it solemn or do you want a bit more of a display? Or maybe you want some choreography on it?”
Aidoo says that he added choreography as an additional offer and customers are loving it.
Funerals in Ghana is not an event to mourn only, it also brings an opportunity to celebrate the life of the departed soul. There are hardly low-key affairs or sombre. The funeral in Ghana is a social event attended by large numbers of mourners, which could reach a hundred or more than that. People usually are dressed in black or black and red, traditional funeral dress.
An average funeral costs between $15000- $20000. This includes a grand feast for all the mourners, a coffin which generally costs $500-$600, and an obligatory billboard that announces the funeral arrangements. This also includes pallbearers' charge. Benjamin’s dancing group takes around $300- $400 per funeral.
The pallbearers are now getting fame on social media as the netizens created funny memes about them. Especially those who are reminding us to stay home in lockdown.
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