For those who haven’t seen the coverage Paa Joe – real name Joseph Ashtong – is a 68 year old Ghanaian master craftsman and “grandfather” of the “fantasy coffin” trade, for over half a decade he has been painstakingly handcrafting custom coffins in the form of anything from aeroplanes to Coca-Cola bottles, spending months creating each intricate design.
For the last month Paa Joe has been in residency at Nottingham’s Clumber Park where he has been crafting a Lion coffin and this Saturday the residency comes to end in spectacular style with a Grand Finale event within the wonderful surrounds of one of the city’s most picturesque locations.
The day will be filled with music, poetry and mask making workshops while there will be African inspired food to enjoy as well.
At twilight the celebration of the coffin will begin which will feature a dazzling display of dancers, African inspired percussionists, fire spinners and giant puppets as the coffin embarks on a journey around the grounds of Clumber Park and across the lake.
The grand finale is inspired by a traditional Ga funeral in which a coffin is traveled around a village in a bid to confuse the spirit so it cannot return and haunt its friends and relatives. It is then believed the spirit must cross a stretch of water to shake off its demons and reach the land of the afterlife.
The day will feature performances from SABAR SOUNDSYSTEM, TRICOLOUR SUN and ELECTRIC MAGNETIC.
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For more information on the event check it out on Facebook here
