GHANAIAN COFFINS ATTRACT FOREIGN INTEREST

Contracts for specially designed Ghanaian coffins are increasing from American and European museums and individuals.

Mr Joseph Tetteh Ashong, who runs a carpentry shop at Nungua told GRI he had just delivered 10 such designs to a customer in Canada to be mounted at a museum.

The contract price was around 7,000 dollars, said Mr Ashong, popularly known as Paa Joe of Paa Joe Carpentry Shop.

The orders included coffins shaped like aeroplanes, Bible, crab, pepper, a Bedford truck, and a canoe. Among his clients, Paa Joe said are former American President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Mr Kenneth Brown, former U.S. ambassador in Ghana for whom he designed a coffin in the shape of an elephant.

"It is very strange that the work of art being exhibited in Ghana by a Ghanaian is rather popular among foreigners,'' Paa Joe said.

He said foreigners are promoting his work internationally in museums and exhibitions in New York, Paris and London among others.

Paa Joe said in 1993, Caisse Francais de Development, the French development fund, gave him a loan of seven million cedis and ''even though l have not finished paying, they have given me an additional 23 million cedis.''

He added proudly, ''all these without collateral.'' Paa Joe said contracts from France and Canada have all been fulfilled, saying the 10 caskets were delivered to Canada late last year.

"A sample of a fish design was sent just yesterday to Chicago for an exhibition," he added. He said all the designs he creates are symbols of professions around him, such as those of farmers, fishermen, drivers, pastors etc.

Paa Joe started the designer coffins and caskets business some 19 years ago. He takes about three weeks to build one casket and sells it between 400,000 to 600,000 cedis depending on the design.