Bury My Heart In The Wooden Nike

Manolo says, how to go in style.

Plain rectangular caskets are so passé. For the past four decades, the Ga tribe in Ghana have celebrated the deceased by designing “fantasy coffins”. These resting places are made to symbolize the livelihood of the person inside of them — a fisherman is laid to rest in a giant wooden fish or a seamstress is tucked away in a sewing machine.

As Ghana imports more and more from the western world, these fantasy coffins have begun to rely more heavily on modern tastes and wealth. Now you can find coffins made to look like a Mercedes-Benz or as a Nike sneaker as seen in this photo taken at the Brooklyn Museum.

Of the course, the Manolo would never be buried in the Nike, not when this masterpiece is available.