13/07/2026
Dancing and singing to the grave. It's never just a party.
You may have seen the "Dancing Pallbearers" from Ghana — the ones who went viral worldwide. What fewer people know: Suriname has its own version of this tradition, and I photographed it. The dragiman of Wi Kan Doe carry the coffin to the grave while dancing and singing.
Is it a celebration of the life that was lived?
Or a celebration that this life is over, and the soul moves on to the next?
Or is it about warding off spirits, in that in-between time between this world and the next?
I don't know the answer. Maybe it's all three at once, depending on who you ask that day.
What I do know: I can never stand still while documenting a funeral like this. I love to dance myself — and even with a camera in my hands, I make sure my settings let me move with the band without blurring the moment I'm trying to keep sharp forever.
It made me think: how do you want to be carried to your grave?
I'd love mine to be a dance, even though this tradition isn't part of my own culture. But dancing fits me. And maybe that means a farewell like this would fit me too.
However you say goodbye — the images of that goodbye matter. This family said goodbye to a daughter, a sister. These photos help them see, again and again, how they said goodbye to her.
That's why I do this work. Follow me if you are interested in this type of work or get my free guide via link in bio
🇸🇷
