The Ghanaian Funeral That Made Death Funny
Coffin Dance features Ghanaian pallbearers dancing while carrying a coffin, set to “Astronomia” by Tony Igy. The 2020 meme format showed someone about to make a terrible decision or fail, cutting to the dancing pallbearers—implying their imminent death. It became the pandemic’s darkest and most beloved meme.
Origins: Ghanaian Funeral Culture (2015-2017)
The original footage comes from Nana Otafrija Pallbearing Services in Ghana, where professional pallbearers perform elaborate dances at funerals as celebration of the deceased’s life. Benjamin Aidoo’s group gained fame locally for choreographed routines making funerals memorable events.
BBC Africa featured them in 2017, bringing international attention. But the footage remained niche until 2020.
TikTok & Viral Explosion (April 2020)
In April 2020, amid COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, the coffin dance format exploded on TikTok:
Structure:
- Person/animal about to do something dangerous or stupid
- Cut to black just before impact/failure
- Dancing pallbearers appear carrying coffin to “Astronomia”
The meme’s timing was darkly perfect—death was everywhere in news, lockdowns created existential dread, and coffin dance provided gallows humor coping mechanism. Laughing at death felt necessary.
Why It Worked (Pandemic Context)
Dark humor as survival: Making death absurd when it felt omnipresent
Universal format: Any fail video could become coffin dance
Musical earworm: “Astronomia” became synonymous with imminent doom
Cultural celebration: Ghana’s joyful approach to death as counter to Western fear
Wholesome darkness: The pallbearers were professionals doing their job with joy
Millions of variations appeared:
- Extreme sports fails → coffin dance
- Politicians making bad decisions → coffin dance
- People ignoring COVID warnings → coffin dance
- Video game deaths → coffin dance
- Anything remotely dangerous → coffin dance
Cultural Impact & Pallbearer Fame
Benjamin Aidoo and his team became global celebrities:
- International interviews: BBC, CNN, Vice features
- Commercial opportunities: Brand deals, appearances, tourism
- Philanthropy: COVID-19 safety campaigns in Ghana
- Meme acknowledgment: Embraced fame, appeared in meta-meme videos
They became ambassadors for Ghanaian culture, showing funerals as celebration rather than solely mourning—an educational side effect of viral fame.
Decline & Legacy (2021-2023)
By mid-2020, coffin dance had saturated—overuse killed the format’s impact. But it left lasting traces:
- “Astronomia” permanently associated with death/failure
- Recognition of Ghanaian pallbearing culture globally
- Template for “imminent doom” memes
- Pandemic-era dark humor archive
The meme captured a specific moment—when death felt close, humor felt necessary, and dancing pallbearers provided both.
Sources:
- BBC Africa: “The dancing pallbearers of Ghana” (2017, 2020 updates)
- The Guardian: “How the coffin dance meme took over the internet” (2020)
- Vice: Interview with Nana Otafrija Pallbearing Services (2020)