Il fait sombre, va-t'en

the long version

Funerary art has many expressions, but seldom is it as eye-catching and surprising as among the Ga, the dominant people of Accra and the surrounding region. Here a remarkable folk art of coffin-building has developed, combining remembrance, respect, humor and celebration. The coffin may take almost any form or shape, from eagle to Mercedes Benz, reflecting the occupation, status or character of the deceased. Photographer and reporter Thierry Secretan's superb color photographs record a wide variety of these sculptural masterpieces. He shows the making of the coffins, the funeral rites, the burial - quite literally from creation to the grave - while lively accompanying texts explain the history and background of the subject and introduce the main protagonists: the artist-craftsmen, the mourners and, not least, the central characters whose souls are going to join their ancestors in such an apt and splendid fashion.