Going into darkness - Thierry Secretan

A giant wooden sardine is carried above the heads of a jostling throng. Realistically carved and highly painted, it is both symbolic and functional, for this is the coffin of the chief sardine fisherman of Teshi.;Funerary art has many expressions, but seldom as surprising as among the Ga, the dominant people of the Ghanaian capital Accra and its region. Here, a remarkable contemporary folk art of coffin-building has developed, combining remembrance, respect, humour and celebration. The coffin may take almost any form - onion, cow, fishing boat, car, eagle - reflecting the occupation, status or particular attribute of the deceased.;This is a record of a variety of these sculptures. It shows the making of the coffins, the funeral rites, the burial, and explains the history and background of the subject. The main protagonists are introduced: the artist-craftsmen, the mourners, and the central characters whose souls are being sent off in style.