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Paa Joe & the Lion: African influenced funeral rituals at Clumber Park

Date published: 3 Jun 2013

Posted by: Joe Pick

Paa Joe and Jacob lead the funeral procession

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On Saturday 1st June, we celebrated the completion of Paa Joe’s residency at Clumber Park in Nottinghamshire.  It was marked by a Ghanaian influenced funeral ritual.  The coffin Paa Joe and his son Jacob created was led through the grounds of the park and down to the lake, where it traveled across towards the afterlife.  Performances included dance, theatre and music from Sabar Soundsystem.  This gallery contains photos of the celebratory event.

The grand finale was inspired by a traditional Ga funeral in which a coffin is traveled around a village in a bid to confuse the spirit so it cannot return and haunt its friends and relatives.  It is believed that the spirit must cross a stretch of water to shake off its demons and reach the land of the afterlife.  The event was filmed as part of forthcoming feature documentary film, Paa Joe: Dead, not Buried.

The event was open to the public and produced by Artdocs in partnership with City Arts, the National Trust in the Midlands and Nottinghamshire County Council.