Coffins to die for in Ghana
Plus the new face of tattooing in New Zealand and art on wheels in India.
About 50 years ago, a Ghanaian angler started a trend when, upon his death, he was buried in a wooden coffin shaped like a fish.
Today, cab drivers are buried in wooden taxis, preachers in Bible-shaped boxes and smokers in coffins shaped like cigarette boxes.
Artsworld explores this macabre but colourful art form in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, and discovers that the idea is catching on and allowing impoverished Ghanaian artisans to tap into a growing market.
The new face of tattooing in New Zealand
The art of Maori tattooing disappeared off the skin and faces of Maori for nearly 100 years. But in the last decade it has made a remarkable comeback.
‘Tohunga ta moko’, the art of Maori tattoo, depicts a person’s ancestry and achievements.
Artsworld follows Chaz Doherty, a practitioner of the art of Maori tattoo, as he uses a bone chisel to carve an ancient spiral design onto the face of Joseph Takuta, a member of the Tuhoe tribe.
Part two
Art on wheels
India’s long distance truck drivers are known throughout the region for their brightly painted trucks, decorated with everything from sequins to flower motifs, poetry to Bollywood dancers.
Artsworld watches as one truck gets a make-over and learns that truck art can also be used to raise awareness about public health and HIV.
Bridging communities through music
Brussels is home to a large number of immigrants from North Africa. Several years ago a youth centre was set up to help with issues of integration and to boost self-esteem.
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A distinctive sound began to emerge from these informal gatherings and the children soon gained international recognition for their musical talents.
The Fanfakids, as they are known, play on self-made drums, imported tambourines, checkers and nfars.
Artsworld shows how this collaborative energy is transforming the lives of immigrant and Flemish children.
This episode of Artsworld aired from Monday, May 25, 2009.
The new series of Artsworld can be seen at the following times GMT: Monday: 0530, 1130; Tuesday: 0130, 1400, 2330; Wednesday: 1630; Thursday: 1430; Friday: 0600; Saturday: 1930; Sunday: 1030.