Artful caskets of Ghana

Funerals are one of the most important events in Ghanaian society. Frederick Nnoma-Addison, a D.C.-based journalist who comes from the West African country, says funerals in Ghana are considered an investment in the memory of the deceased. "Yes, there is mourning, but we also reflect his or her good life, and celebrate," he told Seth Doane.

And while a funeral lasts just a few hours, since eternity is, well, eternity, it's important to spend it in style.

These colorful coffins are a special way that Ghanaians honor the departed.

On a coastal road in Ghana's capital city of Accra, casket-makers -- artists, really -- have set up shop to produce their elaborate resting places for the deceased.

Eric Anang's imagination runs wild in his carpentry shop. He's made everything from a talapia casket for a fisherman, to this cocoa pod for a farmer.

Coffins can reflect occupations, tribal symbols, or just what the deceased enjoyed most in life.

"People just call me and then they say, 'This is the shape I want,'" casket-maker Eric Anang told Seth Doane. "And then, you know, I just have to take into your imagination what I have to do to make it look like reality."

Some of the imaginative caskets produced at Eric Anang's shop.

A fire engine casket.

But for Eric Anang -- an artist as much as a carpenter -- it's a bittersweet end.

"I don't feel comfortable when I see them going under the ground," Anang told Doane.

Some sporty wheels for the afterlife.

A dapper coffin.

A sweet casket.

This coffin reflects the deceased's clan symbol.

A colorful creation.

Putting the finishing touches on a coffin in Ghana.

A coffin ready for its occupant.

A "design" coffin is best not hidden inside a hearse, but carried above heads or borne down streets.

A poultry casket.

Caskets may reflect the occupations of their inhabitants.

An artful design.

Some of the creative caskets at Eric Anang's shop in Accra, Ghana.

Artful coffins in Ghana.

A Bic pen coffin.

A creative coffin.

A Good Book for one's final resting place.

Watch Seth Doane's report: Going out in style

For more info:
ghanacoffin.com

By CBSNews.com senior producer David Morgan

CBS News 24/7