How Prampram pallbearers became an international sensation – and a meme

Social media platforms, Facebook, WhatsApp and TikTok,  are buzzing with their videos. They are probably the most popular internet sensation right now.

You may have probably seen five men clothed in black attire with dark spectacles spinning with coffins on EDM track by Tony Igy  “Astronomia.”

Giant billboards, banners and vehicle signage are springing up across the world, urging people to stay home or join them as the corpse on their dancing retinue to the cemetery.

They are the famous Prampram Pallbearers.

Known as Nana Otafrija Pallbearing Services, and they are social media superstars attracting global attention.

In an interview with AP, the founder of the group, Benjamin Aidoo, said he started the pall bearing business in 2007 as a side job to see himself through school.

Aidoo said, he decided to add variety to the job by introducing different colors of attires

” In Ghana you need to be creative, i noticed that a lot of pallbearers wore black but i wanted mine to be different so i added color, white,red and black outfit”

Some people they don’t want to cry anymore,other people too whether they want to cry or not we make the happy,we  make them cheerful because of what we are doing” he told AP in an interview.

Touting the Nana Otafrija Pallbearing Services as a unique brand, he said ” We try to improve on our choreography for people to know that we are a unique group of pallbearers”

Aidoo in an interview on 3FM, monitored by theghanareport.com, said, their newfound fame might influence their rates after the coronavirus pandemic.

“The popularity we have received is booming our business now. We would increase our prices after the coronavirus. For now, we have a manager in Kenya and we have a lawyer too in Kenya,” he said.

Detailing their rate card, Aidoo said the prices determined the attire they wore.

According to him, their black-and-white uniform cost funeral organisers the lowest of the company’s prices.

Although he was hesitant in mentioning the figures, he said, the highest they charged outside the country was $3000, excluding transportation, food and accommodation”.

From the solemn act of carrying dead bodies to their final resting place, the group has turned it into a performance that attracts cheers from liberal-minded mourners to jeers or disdain from conservative people who believe funerals should be without fanfare.

Recounting a bad experience from work, Aidoo said ” We displayed for a family in Kumasi sometime last year, the corpse was so heavy that we could’t lift a finger for two weeks after that”

If you haven’t seen them in action before, watch these viral memes on social media in the posts below.

#BreakingNews. Can’t even find the right caption for this. Ain’t this our pallbearers again here pic.twitter.com/SEqhQG0zD0

— Florent JAY-B (@FlorentJAYB) April 15, 2020

From Africa to the world! Pall bearers challenge is out globally! All work and no play #SoulConcepts pic.twitter.com/RTyPedrunv

— HumBleSoul Gh (@HumbleSoulGh) April 15, 2020

I know how heavy a Coffin is, but somebody tell me.

What kind of training do these guys do?

The now TikTok famous dancing pallbearers from Ghana #lockDownSouthAfrica pic.twitter.com/iJOIk3aj8l

— KE SHARP (@_KingMarvern) April 16, 2020

From Ghana to Global Superstars: The Dancing pallbearers from Prampram https://t.co/ulKecwkqP8 pic.twitter.com/Bw9VHJPNoZ

— Ameyaw Debrah (@ameyaw112) April 16, 2020

The Ghanaian pallbearers meme is my favorite thing on the internet right now. pic.twitter.com/QIRAqcPI07

— Lindsay Walsh (@lindsaycwalsh) April 15, 2020

Spoke to the man behind the Ghanaian dancing pallbearers and he said he’s going to come and see us all very soon, which is nice pic.twitter.com/rgKwc4JVTj

— Josh Kaplan (@JNkappers) April 16, 2020