Dancing Pallbearers | |
|---|---|
 Screenshot of aBBC News video clip showing pallbearers dancing with a casket | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Prampram,Ghana |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Members |
|
Dancing Pallbearers[a] is the informal name given to a group ofpallbearers fromNana Otafrija Pallbearing and Waiting Service who are based in the coastal town ofPrampram in theGreater Accra Region of southernGhana, although they perform across the country as well as outside Ghana.[1] The founder and leader of the group is Benjamin Aidoo.[2] Locally, they are referred to asDada awu (meaning "Daddy's dead").[3]
The group initially gained worldwide attention through a BBC News feature story in 2017. In March 2020, the group became aninternet meme when the videos were paired with EDM song "Astronomia" byTony Igy,[4] and gained popularity in video edits.[5]
The Dancing Pallbearers are led by Benjamin Aidoo, who started the group as a regular pallbearer service in 2003.[6] He later had the idea of adding choreography to their pallbearing work. Extra fees are charged for dancing with the coffin during a funeral.[citation needed]
The oldest of the reused clips is fromYouTube by Travelin Sister from January 22, 2015, though the Dancing Pallbearers first rose to wider prominence in 2017 when they were featured in aBBC News report.[3] The third video, which depicts pallbearers accidentally dropping a coffin during their dance, was first posted by Facebook user "Bigscout Nana Prempeh" on May 2, 2019, and gained over 2,900 reactions, 4,600 shares and 350,000 views in one year.[7]
The video and with similar material gained significant popularity onTikTok as a punchline for fail clips in a manner similar toTo Be Continued andWe'll Be Right Back memes, implying that the person in the fail video has died. For example, on March 6, 2020, TikTok account Trickshots posted a version of the meme that received over 2.9 million views and 237,000 likes.[5]
On March 30, 2020, a YouTuber named DigiNeko "Matthew Ordrick" uploaded a video to YouTube elevating the trend on the Internet, through mainly being associated with theCOVID-19 pandemic, which was ongoing when the meme became popular, receiving over 400 million views.[8][9] Since the trend, it has been popular on social media, widely uploaded to platforms such asReddit,YouTube andTikTok.[10][11] furthering its use fordarkly comedicinternet memes, videos of people suffering various mishaps, followed by clips of the pallbearers dancing with coffins (implicitly the victims of the preceding clips). The clips are generally paired up at least since February 26, 2020 with the song "Astronomia" by Russian musical artistTony Igy and remixed by Dutch duoVicetone,[citation needed] although others use either "You Know I'll Go Get" by Indonesian DJ Haning and Rizky Ayuba (a remixed version ofEnrique Iglesias's song "Finally Found You") orLenka's "Trouble Is a Friend" as an alternate song.[4]
In May 2020, the BBC revisited the pallbearers interviewing them about their rise to fame.[citation needed]
The Dancing Pallbearers made appearance in internet memes. For example, aneaster egg inCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold War references the meme.[12] In addition, the meme experienced a revival on social media following theWhite House COVID-19 outbreak in early October 2020, in which then-presidentDonald Trump tested positive forCOVID-19.[13]
The Pallbearers was also used for campaigning for COVID-19 prevention. For instance, in Brazil, in May 2020, the city government ofCaldas Novas, in the state ofGoiás, installed two billboards showing the coffin dancers and the caption "stay at home or dance with us", to encouragesocial distancing during theCOVID-19 pandemic in Brazil.[14][15] Soon after, the group released a video where they capitalized on the phrase, encouraging viewers to 'stay home or dance with us'.[16] InColombia andPeru,policemen imitated the group's dance carrying a coffin on their shoulders, encouraging the community to stay home to stem the spread of the coronavirus.[17][18] The group also have seen use in politics, when the leaders ofNew Political Center — Girchi, a political party in Georgia, dressed up inchokhas and made their own version of the video.[19]