Ghana's amazing coffins on show in London

An exhibition of the now popular Ghana's fanciful coffins opened this week at the Jack Bell Gallery in London.

The unusual coffins, originated in Teshi, near Accra has created a tradition whereby, the relatives of a fisherman, for example, would bury him in a fish coffin, or for, a farmer, a vegetable coffin, a soldier, a gun coffin, a pastor, a Bible coffin and so on.

Burials are important events in Ghana, seen as a way of veneration for the ancestors upon the belief that the spirit of a dead person cannot join the celestial family until it has undergone the appropriate burial rites.

The Jack Bell Gallery which opened at the beginning of 2010 exhibits the works of artists from all over the world, in particular artists from Africa and South Asia and holds around twelve major exhibitions a year.

The pieces on display are all the work of 65-year-old Paa Joe, who has been making them for years.