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Benjamin Aidoo reflects on donating money to Ukraine, leading Showmax’s ‘My Perfect Funeral’
● Benjamin Aidoo
From becoming a global sensation for his coffin dance meme (an image, video or piece of text, typically humorous in nature, that is copied and spread rapidly by internet users) to finally selling the meme as Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT )— a certificate to say you own something digitally, Benjamin Aidoo has had quite a journey.
And his luck is not about to run out anytime soon as the prominent Ghanaian pallbearer is now the face of the Showmax Original reality series ‘My Perfect Funeral.’
The 10-part Ghanaian series, which was launched in December 2022, follows five families as they prepare to bury their loved ones.
In this Showmax interview made available to The Spectator, Benjamin talks about ‘My Perfect Funeral,’ and his reasons for featuring on the show, donating his money from the meme auction to Ukraine and why the world should expect more funeral memes from him and his group.
What made you decide to be part of My Perfect Funeral?
It was to honour my friend Tommy Lee (one of the pioneers of our pallbearers’ group) and my adopted father, who both passed away. I wanted to do this for them so that the world can see and understand what celebration of life means. Being on this show made that possible.
In your own words, what would you describe as a perfect funeral?
For me, a perfect funeral means having a successful and timely funeral, regardless of any issues that may arise like family disagreements or anything else.
As a pallbearer, what has been the most interesting funeral you’ve attended so far?
There’s one I attended where someone was buried with a special coffin. The deceased was a tomato seller, and she was buried in a fancy coffin which was carved as a box of tomatoes. While we carried and danced with the coffin, people were throwing tomatoes at us. I don’t know whether they were aiming at the pallbearers or the coffin but it was very interesting. I have never witnessed something like that before and I loved it.
What lessons do you hope ‘My Perfect Funeral’ imparts to viewers in Ghana and across Africa?
Life is too short, therefore, enjoy it. Forgive easily, respect nature and honour humans because you don’t know when and where you’re going to die.
Earlier in April 2022, you sold your coffin dance meme
at 327 ETH ($1,045,409), one of the highest meme auctions in history. How did it feel to earn this much money?
It was a great feeling, but most importantly, I felt happy that we were able to give back by donating some of this money to Ukraine to help the country get back on its feet.
Did you feel any loss to see the meme go to a new owner?
No, because I’m just happy and grateful that God has been so good to me. I’m very passionate about what I do, I’m hoping that soon, everybody around the world is going to hear about my work or even adopt it.
It’s been months since you sold the meme. Has this sale impacted your life in any way? And has it impacted the way people in Ghana interact with you?
The answer is both yes and no. Ghanaians are out for my neck because they know that the money is there but they don’t know the ins and outs of it all. Part of the money from the sale went to charity in Ukraine. We need to give back to society as part of our journey and where we’re coming from.
With that money, I’m helping the needy in my community and also supporting my team of pallbearers because I have more than a 100 guys working with me and we do a lot of projects. So yes, that money has impacted a lot and there’s more to come.
Should we expect more funeral memes from you?
Yes, I’d say you should expect more funeral memes from us very soon because there’s music and dance and a whole lot of play on social media.
Catch Benjamin Aidoo as he helps families give their loved ones a fitting send-off in My Perfect Funeral streaming on Showmax, with new episodes every Thursday.
Source: Showmax
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ASWIM lauds Prof Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang
The Association of Women in the Media, (ASWIM) has congratulated Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang on her historic achievement as Ghana’s first female Vice President.
The association said her trailblazing journey with sterling accomplishments from academia to politics, is undoubtedly, a vivid inspiration to countless women and girls across Ghana and Africa.
This was contained in a statement signed by its president, Mrs Mavis Kitcher, and copied to The Spectator on Tuesday in Accra.
“ASWIM celebrates your remarkable career, marked by numerous firsts, including the first female Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast, (UCC), and the first female to hold a professional chair in Ghana, (UCC),” the statement said.
It said the accomplishments of Prof Opoku- Agyemang were clear testament to the brilliance, resilience and resourceful nature of the complete beautiful African woman.
“As she takes on this new role, ASWIM proudly lauds her commitment to education, women’s empowerment, distinguished public service and patriotism and is very confident that her pursuit of excellence, love for humanity, humility, decency, modesty and commitment to the welfare of the vulnerable will characterise Ghana’s political leadership and public service,” the statement added.
By Jemima Esinam Kuatsinu
Entertainment
Demolition of Fantasy Dome unfair — Mark Okraku-Mantey
Months after the Fantasy Dome was dismantled to make way for construction at the Ghana International Trade Fair site, the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mr Mark Okraku-Mantey, has expressed concern over the manner the facility was destroyed.
In an interview on Daybreak Hitz with Andy Dosty, Mr Okraku-Mantey criticised the handling of the dome’s dismantling, suggesting that it could have been done without causing damage.
“I don’t think that leadership gave instructions that they should do what happened. The structure was a prefab but I hear the people destroyed it. That one, we cannot defend it. It is unfair to him (owner). Sometimes, you give instructions and people will go and do things that will make you look bad,” he stated.
When asked about any punitive measure against the workers responsible for the destruction, Mr Okraku-Mantey clarified that the Trade Fair does not fall under his ministry.
He said he had previously contacted the owner, Leslie Quaynor, to discuss relocating the dome, and even suggested the National Museum as a potential site, though it was too small.
The demolition of the 20,000-seater Fantasy Dome occurred on March 16, 2024.
According to Dr Agnes Adu, CEO of the Ghana Trade Fair Company Limited, the action was taken after multiple notices were given to Quaynor to vacate the premises for redevelopment, as per their tenancy agreement.
Dr Adu noted that all previous tenants had complied except for the Fantasy Dome.
Quaynor, in an interview with JoyNews, confirmed that his lease had ended, and was in the process of relocating the dome.
He had requested an extension, which was denied, leading him to seek a writ and an injunction from an Accra High Court to halt the demolition.
Despite this, the demolition proceeded, causing significant damage to the structure.
Quaynor described the incident as a major setback, not only for his business but also for the entertainment industry, which relies on venues like the Fantasy Dome.
