In 2019, Americans spent $550M on coffins. From my limited coffin encounters, they all seem so plain and uniform.  Marble or maple, stainless steel or cobalt, the shapes are relatively uniform the color selection is so limited. For a country that champions individualism and freedom of expression, our coffin game is so weak!

For this episode, we travel to Accra, Ghana to speak with internationally renowned custom coffin designer, Eric Adjetey Anang, who commissions coffins to be made to people’s exact specifications – from cocoa pods to military tanks.  This is by far the biggest name we have, and maybe will ever interview.  He’s been all over the world, and featured on internationally broadcast media like CNN, BBC, France 24. 

Find Eric’s site here: https://www.google.com/search?q=kane+kwei+carpentry&rlz=1C9BKJA_enUS856US856&oq=kane+kwei+carpentry&aqs=chrome..69i57j0.4195j0j0&hl=en-US&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8

Sources:

Downward trend of coffin industry: IBISWorld – https://www.ibisworld.com/industry-trends/specialized-market-research-reports/life-sciences/healthcare-services/coffin-casket-manufacturing.html

Death Care Industry – Quartz – https://qz.com/948857/funeral-homes-and-the-death-industry-are-undergoing-radical-shifts-toward-diy-death/

Cocoa Industry – 

https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/top-10-cocoa-producing-countries.html

Ghana – Per Capita Income – World Economic Outlook Database, April 2019″. IMF.org. International Monetary Fund. Retrieved 12 July 2019