Soap Magazine
property is suddenly very valuable, and some of the family want to cash in. Anang is determined to keep it open.
The men who work at the shop are fiercely proud of its legacy. Legend has it that in the 1950s, a traditional leader died shortly after having a litter in the shape of a cocoa pod made. Because the leader died so suddenly, the litter he would be carried in during ceremonies was converted into a coffin to bury him. Seth Kane Kwei, a young carpenter at the time, admired the unique take on a casket.
Shortly afterwards, Kane Kwei’ s grandmother died. During her life, she’ d had an enduring fascination with airplanes. Recalling how the crowd at the traditional ruler’ s funeral had been fascinated by his unique coffin, Kane Kwei built his grandmother a coffin in the shape of an airplane. A few weeks later, a fisherman who’ d just lost his father ordered a coffin in the shape of a boat.
The coffin shop in Accra.
Photo: Theophilus Mensah
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