The coffin which was used to bury Ebony has stoked debates as people question the propriety of using one with a black colour.
Some have said that there could be spiritual connotations to the choice of colour for the casket but Michael Dela, Chief Executive Officer of Gisarg Caskets and Coffins, manufacturers of the coffin used to bury dance hall artiste, has said there is no cause for alarm.
In an exclusive interview with Citi Showbiz, Michael said his company designed the coffin without Ebony in mind.
“I must be honest, we didn’t even have Ebony in mind but when we were done with it, I saw the casket and said this will actually suit Ebony. She’s called Ebony and her name represents the colour black,” he said.
The added that contrary to debate going on, black casket is actually quite common.
“One of the caskets that we sell a lot is the black one. This one was actually one of our newer designs. It was purely done in our quest to do something unique,” he said.
He said people who have younger deceased tend to go for caskets that are dark. But occasionally you get people that go for the black casket just for the beauty of it.
According to him his company which is located at Osu – Forico Mall, had a business relationship with Transitions, the firm that organized Ebony’s funeral and that they only had a call at the last hour that the family had settled on the black casket.
“We got the call at the last hour. It was on a Friday so with regards to what colour they had chosen earlier, we have no idea,” he added.
He said, the colour was pure arts and that he does not subscribe to the notion that it may have spiritual meanings.
“We don’t manufacture things according to people’s spiritual inclinations,” he intimated.
This debate is hinged on a recent interview Dr. Lawrence Tetteh who paid for the casket, granted Adom TV.
According to him even though he paid for the casket, he allowed the father to choose which one he wanted.
“I had gone with Bishop Quaye and a woman by name Julie and Ebony’s parents to buy the coffin. I told Ebony’s parents to choose the coffin they wanted for me to pay because she was their child and I couldn’t decide for them. What I paid for was not what was used in burying her. On the day of the funeral, Ebony’s father called and told me that, on the evening they were going for her body, he saw another coffin which looked nice and so he settled on that one rather and that it was the same price as the one he’d earlier picked. I didn’t see the coffin until the funeral event as I was not around when they went for the body. I must be honest with you, I wasn’t happy when I saw that coffin,” he told Adom TV.
He further stated that when he asked Ebony’s father why they chose the black coffin, he said they found out it was nicer than what they had seen earlier.
“I’m over 50 years but I’ve never seen a black coffin in my life. What I’m saying is that, I and my team saw that black coffin only when we got to the funeral grounds. So I asked Ebony’s father about it and he said he found the black one nicer than what I’d seen earlier and that I told him to make a choice and that’s exactly what he’s done. He’s the father and so he had the right to make certain decisions. Personally, I don’t judge people because nobody knows the secret places of our hearts,” the man of God stated.
Ebony who died on 8th February, 2018 through a car accident, was buried on 24th March, 2018.
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By: Kwame Dadzie/citifmonline.com/Ghana
