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Going into darkness : fantastic coffins from Africa
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Going into darkness : fantastic coffins from Africa

by Thierry Secretan

This study documents the custom coffin-building traditions of the Ga people in Ghana. Colour photographs illustrate sculptural coffins crafted in diverse shapes to reflect the life of the deceased, alongside an exploration of funerary rites and cultural history.

Accession 3751 ISBN 9780500278390 Publisher Thames & Hudson
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Going into darkness : fantastic coffins from Africa spine
Going into darkness : fantastic coffins from Africa cover
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TAGS
Curated Derived
Archaeology Art Death and Burial Decorative Arts Ethnology Family and Society History Materials Philosophy Social Sciences
CONNECTIONS
No connections
State
on_shelf
True
position_updated_at
2026-06-03 17:12
orientation
vertical
Details

Physical

binding_type
Hard Back
dimensions
none captured
spine_text
none captured

Metadata

Book form
LOCATION HISTORY
G:S2:1 4 Current vertical
3 weeks, 2 days ago
Book Location
Updated 6 days, 23 hours ago
Vernon snapshot
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Frozen copy of Vernon's record from the last sync. Fields tagged → flow back into the Pulse record.

Last synced 2026-05-21 06:17 (2 weeks, 6 days ago)

Identity

name→ title
Going into darkness : fantastic coffins from Africa
vernon_id
7568
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3751
vernon_slug
going-into-darkness-fantastic-coffins-from-africa-thierry-secretan

Drives Pulse state

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On Shelf
location_name
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location_reason
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isbn_issn→ isbn (when valid)
9780500278390

Descriptive

production_date
1995
object_type
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object_status
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brief_description
Funerary art has many expressions, but seldom as surprising as among the Ga, the dominant people of the Ghanaian capital Accra and its region. Here, a remarkable contemporary folk art of coffin-building has developed, combining remembrance, respect, humour and celebration.

Subjects & people

authors→ author (initial fill only)
Thierry Secretan
tags→ tags
Art, Arts, History, Archaeology, Anthropology, Decorative arts, Furniture, Death, Life, Ethnology -- Ghana, Implements, utensils, etc., Burial, Containers, Coffins, Boxes, Ga (African people)
subject_people
—
subject_objects
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Cover image

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19687

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