So, Nana Otafrija and their brand fit right in. Considering that Ghanaian families can keep and preserve bodies for weeks before the burial, a lavish burial ceremony is only complete when the deceased’s remains are delivered shoulder-high, by the dancing troupe skipping side to side to upbeat music.

And because the funeral budget can be as expensive as wedding ones, or even more (between $15,000 and $20,000 according to various websites), these young men have found an entertaining way to slot themselves onto the list of burial requirements.

NANA OTAFRIJA

When you see these pallbearers (they double as undertakers) dancing and spinning a coffin, it can look like mere comedy, but they actually do this as a fulltime job. They have breathed new life into pall bearing with well-choreographed dance routines.

These highly skilled – and strong! – dancers at some point even drop to the ground without dropping the casket. They can lie down flat with the casket on their chests, then get up and spin around with it, toss it in the air and back onto their shoulders.

According to Benjamin Aidoo, the founder of the group, he started doing pall bearing in 2007 as a side job to see himself through school where he was studying metalwork.

“While in school, I started working with funeral companies but after I finished my studies, I decided to start up something unique when it comes to burials and that’s how I came up with this group,” Aidoo said in an interview with AP.

At first they were doing mere pall bearing but as time went on, they decided to add variety to the job by introducing dance and colourful attires accompanied by gloves, caps and dark sunglasses.

“In Ghana you have to be creative. I noticed that a lot of pallbearers wore black but I wanted mine to be different; so, I added white and red plus other accessories,” Aidoo told AP.

He said they charge between 1,500 Ghanaian cedis and 2,500 Ghanaian cedis (about $400) per performance.

Though they have become popular because of the dancing while carrying the casket, they do not do this at every funeral, as there are those who want the normal sombre services, but they dance at the request of the mourners who may want a more upbeat funeral.

“When the client comes to us, we just ask them, do you want it solemn or do you want a bit more of a display or maybe some choreography with it? What they want is what we do,” Aidoo said.

In an interview on TV3 Ghana’s Showbiz 360, Aidoo said the group rehearses twice a week and never have they dropped a ‘client’.

One of their customers, Elizabeth Annan, while speaking to the BBC said, “When these people are sending your beloved one to their final resting place, they also dance; so, I decided to give my mother a dancing trip to her Maker.”

According to Aidoo, they book five to eight funerals a weekend; so, most of the group members work part time and this way he has managed to create more than 100 jobs for young men and women.

The Nana Otafrija dancers say when they first started out, they faced fierce discrimination even from their family members, because of their handling of the dead.

“Some never even wanted to sit or eat with us, but thank God all that has changed now because we have even become celebrities,” Aidoo said.

He told TV3 Ghana that before they swing into action, they say a prayer to the Lord because they do not know what killed the person they are going to dance around with and spin in the air. When the presenter asked whether they also pray for their business to boom, Aidoo said no; by hook or crook, people have to die, anyway.

According to Aidoo, they train vigorously to perfect their trade, but still, he will never forget the gig they got and found that the deceased was three times heavier than they had expected or trained for, and they struggled with that casket.

Nana Otafrija have gained so much fame during this Covid-19 pandemic where different videos and memes of them have gone viral. However, during their real performances at funerals, they do not dance to Tony Igy’s Astronomia like in the memes, but to traditional Ghanaian music.

“The popularity we have received is booming our business right now and after the coronavirus pandemic, we are going to increase our prices,” said Aidoo, adding that they have even already got bookings outside Ghana.

He said the highest they charge outside Ghana is $3,000, excluding transportation, food and accommodation. During this social distancing period, they collect the body from the funeral home and head straight to the burial grounds where not more than 24 people attend.

Due to the increasing fame they have got, Aidoo said, there are people who made counterfeit/photoshopped videos of them dropping a coffin, which has forced them to get a manager and lawyer to protect their brand.

Their manager is Kenyan content consultant and videographer, John Telewa, who they hope is going to help them handle their newly found fame. 

Telewa became popular in Africa and beyond after his attempt to break the most kisses world record and he is also known for being the host of the famous Kissbandit podcast, a platform that has earned him recognition over the years.

In regard to his new role as manager of Nana Otafrija, Telewa expressed his interest in helping the group build their brand with the intention of taking it to the next level.

They have not only gained fame in Africa but also in Europe and America where giant billboards, banners and vehicle signage of them are springing up urging people to stay home or join them as the corpse on their dancing journey to the cemetery. Some carry the caption: “Stay home or dance with us.”

A billboard in Portugal warning people to stay home or they dance with the Nana Otafrija pallbearers 

CAN THIS COME TO UGANDA

According to Zedi Batyawo the CEO of A Plus Funeral Management, it is not likely that we can have this form of sending off our beloved ones because of the different cultures we have in Uganda and the sad emotional attachment we attach to our deceased.

“Ugandans want a peaceful and respectful sendoff of their loved ones and there is no way you can dance with someone’s coffin. The people here want us to carry the coffin with utmost care and even mere transporting it, the [hearse] should not exceed 30km/hr,” he said.

He, however, said he likes Nana Tafirija’s attires that break with tradition.

“Funerals do not always have to be in black. You can put on other colours especially for the pallbearers, like white, red or cream and we already started doing that here. We give a chance to the mourners to choose the colour of attire they want the pallbearers to wear,” Batyawo said.

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