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Original title: “Blacks Carry Coffins” Behind Network-Wide Explosion Founder: A Little Panic, Too Sudden
Those who are obsessed with brushing phones must have watched a video recently: Six African men in black suits, patent leather shoes, and large sunglasses with coffins on their shoulders danced happily to electronic music. “Black Man Carrying Coffins” videos and expression packs are widely circulating on Chinese social media. In fact, not only in China, “black coffins” have spread across the world overnight.
↑ The “black coffin” team that has spread around the world. According to BBC NewsThis is actually a group of Ghanaian coffins that have tried to make mourners smile for a long time through dance performances. In this epidemic of the new coronavirus that is ravaging the world, they have become a “danger of death warning” in the global household movement:
Reopen the mall when there are more infections and deaths? “Black man with coffin” warns …
Gathered at the outbreak to protest the closure? “Black man with coffin” warns …
Forgot to wash your hands before eating? “Black man with coffin” warns …
On the 25th, Benjamin Aidoo, the founder of the Ghanaian team behind the “Black Coffin,” was interviewed by the Washington Post about his “coffin” business and its global popularity overnight. Course.
I woke up and said goodbye to everyone “a little panic”
One morning in March, after waking up from his sleep, Benjamin discovered that his characteristic movements were everywhere. He said it all happened too suddenly, and he didn’t even know how it happened. “It’s kind of scary, but it’s also fun,” said Benjamin. “Everyone says, ‘I’d rather stay home than let these people bury me.’
On February 26, video software user TikTok @lawyer_ggmu posted an edited video of “Black Coffin Lifting”, and this video was quickly captured on TikTok in the coming weeks.
After the outbreak of the coronary pneumonia epidemic in the world, the “Black Coffin” expression pack was broadcast to other platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, etc., warning people to observe the isolation measures to “maintain their lives”.
From China to Brazil, and then to the United States, one after another “Black Coffin Lifting” video was broadcast by netizens around the world, garnering millions of views, so Benjamin’s team also has a group of fans. . Since then, this unit has appeared in various forms around the world, on social media, games, billboards, and even on the streets.
^ Benjamin’s team began to appear in-game and on the street in various waysNot long ago, the police in Quibdó, Colombia, imitated a “black coffin” dance on the street. While dancing, they urged residents to stay home so as not to run. English, French, Portuguese … The photos of Benjamin and others have been accompanied by warnings in various languages that spread throughout the world: “stay home or dance with us”. In Brazil, these posters are even published in On a large billboard.
↑ Along the streets of Brazil, photos of Benjamin and others appeared on the billboard along with warnings. According to BBC NewsA netizen portrayed this team character as a superhero in the comics, some people used Lego to build a “black people with coffins” model, some people also performed an “imitation show” at home with eggs and cake; Merchants have started selling miniature model dolls …
^ Netizens put on an “imitation show” with eggs and cakes at home. According to the “Washington Post”
↑ Miniature version of the “Black Coffin” model doll. According to the “Washington Post”Twitter spokesman Quinn said English Twitter users this month mentioned “black coffins” at least 60,000 times. Because everyone is shrouded in the “shadow of death” in this epidemic, this humor seems to have become a response mechanism for the general public.
Richmond Lee, a video game artist in Chiang Mai, Thailand, said on the social networking site that “Black Coffin” will be the “Emoji of the Year” in 2020. Li, 36, said: “I’ve seen it on the packages of expressions from Asian countries like Thailand and Japan. In the culture of these Asian countries, it is very taboo to speak directly about death, and the ‘black coffin’ relaxes the atmosphere. “
Kevin Mboya, a 25-year-old Nairobi social media professional, previously released a reggae version of “Black Coffin,” which quickly became popular on the Internet. Mboya said that people now live under high pressure, and this end of the world scene provides an interesting twist. “But most importantly,” he said, “they reminded me and my friends to stay home and stop the spread (virus).”
Shandhi Sayogo, a 24-year-old designer from Bandung, Indonesia, said this emoji pack brought some fun to his segregated life and gave him “positive attitude and energy.” So he turned Benjamin’s team into pixelated animation.
“It’s great to see that everyone is inspiring me with my performances”
For Benjamin Edu, this approach distracted people from the harsh reality of Ghana. As of last Friday, Ghana had 1,279 cases of new coronary pneumonia infection and 10 deaths. Today, the West African country has banned large-scale music gatherings to limit the spread of the virus.
Benjamin and other coffin lifters can now only wear masks and perform inconspicuous performances at small funerals. But he said that when a local television station invited them to dance in the studio last week, they could only remove their masks.
Although the “black coffin” was broadcast as a fun video on global social media, in fact, dance has always been one of the traditional features of Ghanaian funerals. In Ghana, funerals are very important ceremonies and very important social occasions. When people die naturally, their families often host funerals for days, with photographers, bars, buffets, and live bands.
And now this dance that is spreading on the Internet is filmed by the BBC news reporter in 2017. The protagonist of the video, Benjamin Edu, is an enthusiast of funerals and burials. He started working at the local funeral home in his teens, but the funeral ceremonies at the time were very solemn.
“Probably in 2003 and 2004, due to fierce competition, I thought why not add something different,” Benjamin said recently in an interview with the British media. So, he decided to add some choreography to show the clients, and then asked them to solemnly carry the coffin ceremony, or to let them play more. Benjamin said that all performances are strictly in accordance with customer requirements.
Once the coffin dance was launched, the locals loved it and welcomed it. “I remember a client who came to us and said, ‘My dad used to love to dance before he died, let him dance again.’ Soon, more and more Ghanaian families called to hire them to provide services. Subsequently, the team of six gradually it grew to 100 people, and some colleagues began to imitate.
↑ In 2019, in Accra, Ghana, priests perform traditional funeral dances at the funeral. According to the “Washington Post”Benjamin said that the original intention of joining the dance was to make people feel better. His performance suddenly became popular in the epidemic, which surprised him. “But I am very happy to see people from all over the world use my performance to get inspired,” he said. .
Now Benjamin, who is also isolated in his home, is trying to adjust to his new role. Like many netizens, you will laugh when you see these emoticons. A television presenter recently asked him, “What if people don’t stay home?” “Then let’s dance with them,” said Benjamin.
