Loved ones believe the dead should get the best possible send-off, with funerals being elaborate affairs.

Journalists Fellipe Abreu and Henrique Hedler visited two Kane Kwei Carpentry Workshops, in the capital Accra and the southern city of Kumasi, to meet the carpenters making custom-made coffins.

The shops are named after Seth Kane Kwei, who some say first designed fantasy coffins in Ghana.

With Ghana being one of the world's largest cocoa producers, families in rural areas collect and save their hard-earned money to bury the deceased in custom-made cocoa pods.

Coffins like this can cost up to $1,000 (£780) - a huge amount for the farmers, most of whom earn less than $3 a day.

Generally, the coffin designs reflect the occupation or status of the deceased. In this case "the chilli pepper carries a symbolic meaning that goes well beyond the life of a farmer", says workshop manager Eric Adjetey, who's been in the business for 50 years.

The red colour and spiciness represents the personality of that person. "He was hot and temperamental, a person you don't want to mess around with."

Coffins in the style of a Mercedes Benz are popular - this one is for a wealthy man who owned the German-made car, and his grave will be dug to fit it.

"This is one of the most commonly used coffins. It represents the person's high social status," says coffin maker Steve Ansah.

BBC

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