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It's a shaky affair.
The house is shaken up properly.
But here the construction of a new home is not celebrated, but: a funeral.
The house is a coffin containing the deceased.
Hard work for the specially hired coffin dancers.
Yaw Addai, Coffin Dancer:
“They hire us because we dress smartly and dance beautifully. Beauty and spectacle are very important here. […] The whole world knows that funerals are great in Ghana. That's why we do everything we can to make them exceptional.«
Because here in western Ghana, funerals are one thing above all: a big celebration.
The region describes itself as the world stronghold of funeral ceremonies – with special coffins, dances and lots of drama.
Today the 105-year-old Opanin will be buried.
Amando Owusu, daughter of the deceased:
'He died about seven months ago. This shows how much time it takes to plan a funeral service. We wanted to give our father a nice funeral. 105 years is a blessing.«
She designed and built the coffin: Afia Birago, one of the few women in a male-dominated business, an expert in funeral services.
She worked on the house coffin for a whole month.
Afia Birago, Undertaker:
'The family could never afford to build a house for him, although they would have liked to. That's why they chose this coffin. At least in the next life he shall have a house.”
Birago has built many special coffins: a gun for a soldier, a car for a driver, a razor for a hairdresser, a mobile phone for a telephone dealer, a book for a teacher, a chainsaw for a forest worker.
Afia Birago, Undertaker:
"
Death is part of life.
If you don't die, then you can't come to the land of the dead.
Death is only part of a journey.
No matter how old you get, everyone dies in the end.
So our business is always going.
«
But before the deceased go on their last journey, the body is laid out.
Same today.
The body is painted gold.
The deceased had two wives and 23 children, they present their gifts for the afterlife trip: pillows and blankets when the deceased gets tired.
Water if he gets thirsty on the way.
And money so he can buy himself something to eat.
The living also need a lot of money, because funeral services in Ghana are expensive.
Alex Adom Diko, brother of the deceased:
“We had to scrape quite a bit together. Weddings are cheaper, you only need two or three drinks per guest and that's it. We don't spend much on weddings here in this region. But funerals, they have to look good.«
And so Saturday in Ghana is reserved for funeral services.
It's always a big gathering.
Conflicts within the family are also officially buried here.
But you don't have to belong to the narrow core to be allowed to be there.
The motto is: the more guests, the better.
Afia Birago, Undertaker:
“I do it myself: when I hear about a funeral, I just go there, even if I don't even know the deceased. If I see a bus on the way to a funeral service, I just get on. That's logical: if I have to organize a funeral, people will remember me and come to my party.«
Even if it looks like a big party to outsiders, one golden rule applies: people mourn loudly at the deathbed.
Many guests can do this at the touch of a button.
And if it doesn't work, there's also a solution.
Afia Birago, Undertaker
“Crying is expected, otherwise they say afterwards that they didn't like the dead man at all. But some people find it difficult, for example when their mother-in-law has died. So they hire five to ten women to do it for them. Then they cry very professionally.«
Just like Agnes Owusu and her colleague.
They are full-time wailers.
You can hire them for up to $500 a day.
Agnes Owusu, Wailer:
"I am very emotional. Even the smallest things make me cry. So I thought: why not make a career out of this?”
With a bottle of beer on Ex and videos of dead bodies, Agnes Owusu gets herself in the mood and then shows us her skills.
Agnes Owusu, Wailer:
*cries* "Are we done?"
Back to the funeral of 105-year-old Opanin.
Even the police stop by, deliver a short song - and then dance along diligently.
In the afternoon there is one thing that matters most to us: the money.
The family tries to collect as many donations as possible from the guests in order to be able to pay off the debts for the funeral.
A specially hired moderator announces which guests have paid how much.
One of the chiefs, the traditional leaders of the region, has also come to watch the hustle and bustle - and to relax a bit.
Adom Diko, brother of the deceased:
“Organizing the funeral was tough, we had to raise so much money. But now, when it's over, the earnings are counted. Our main goal is to pay off the debt. And if things go well, we even make a little profit.«
This time it went quite well: in the end around 400 guests came, the family only owes 170 euros – a success by Ghanaian standards.
And the deceased finally has a house for his next life.