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‘Delay’ speaks about how ‘My Perfect Funeral’ show became reality
● Deloris Frimpong Manso
About a month ago, we featured the story of Benjamin Aidoo and how he became part of popular television series ‘My Perfect Funeral’ available on online video streaming service ‘Showmax’.
This week, the focus is on Ms. Deloris Frimpong Manso, the Creator and Executive Producer of ‘My Perfect Funeral’ who delves into the production of all 10 episodes of the show and how “nervous and worried” she was in pitching the concept to the channel.
‘My Perfect Funeral’ is a Ghanaian docu-reality series that goes behind the scenes of planning a proper Ghanaian burial.
She spoke to Showmax about her challenges and what is next for her in the Ghanaian film and television industry. Here are extracts:
My Perfect Funeral is really a one-of-a-kind show that has never been done before. Were you nervous when you were first pitching the project to Showmax?
I was nervous and a little bit worried. I wondered if Showmax was going to be interested and if I’d actually get families who would be ready to allow us film them while they grieved.
What was your reaction when it was commissioned for production? And did you feel any kind of pressure going into production?
I generally had mixed feelings. I was excited when the show got commissioned then it hit me that it was about funerals. And there was also a little bit of pressure because I wanted to make sure that we got it right. I was already thinking about Season 2 and wanted to make sure that once we started, we stayed on top of our game so that the show kept running.
You’ve worked on a couple of TV projects before, like your talk show The Delay Show, Cocoa Brown and Afia Schwarzennegar but this is your first reality series. How does it feel?
Working on a reality show was new ground for me, and this being a one-of-a-kind show was even more thrilling. The best way to express my mood at the time was what I used to tell my team: “All hands on deck guys!”
And of course when I drive past the billboard in town, I sometimes don’t know if I should smile or cry. It’s all so surreal.
How long did it take to film My Perfect Funeral, from pre-production to finally premiering on Showmax?
We started filming in November of 2021 and the show premiered in November 2022; that would make a year.
How did you and production come to choose the families you’d feature on the show? Were there any criteria to it?
We opted for diversity. From the affluent to the not so rich, and of course funerals from different parts of the country with different cultures.
Any challenges you had filming the show?
Our first challenge was when we flew the crew to Kumasi, paid for their hotel rooms and car rentals and all that because we had the bereaved family’s approval to film them, then the head of production called to say that the family had changed their mind.
Apparently a family member who came from the US wasn’t informed about the shoot. I remember spending two hours on the phone trying to convince them but to no avail.
Then there was the biggest challenge when our first production team, director and editor backed out of the production. Their reason was that the show had begun taking a toll on them emotionally.
Which was the most challenging funeral you had to deal with?
The funeral at Pusiga. The team had to fly from Accra to Tamale and travel six hours by road. We had to get them security to escort them because ‘it wasn’t so safe’ to travel on those lonely roads at night. Michael, our producer, came back with fever blisters and the ultimate, COVID-19.
Anything new you learnt about Ghanaian culture that you didn’t know before filming the series?
I always thought families chose the people to feature in the obituary; I didn’t know some people would actually fight for their names to be added there. It blew my mind.
How was it working with Benjamin Aidoo for the show?
Benjamin was easy to work with, always on time, ready to convince other people to come on board and generally, a positive guy with a sunny disposition.
What’s next for you in the Ghanaian film/TV industry?
My talk show, The Delay Show, is still running. It turns 15 years on 4th April 2023.
I also started filming my first feature film. It’s a story of a love triangle between a popular musician, his influencer girlfriend and their house help.
By Spectator Reporter
The professor who spends his days exploring the intricacies of African languages found himself at the centre of a different kind of lesson on Friday, October 2, 2026. 
This time, there were no lecture notes, academic arguments or university classrooms. Instead, there was the weight of tradition, the rhythm of a community celebration and the solemnity of an oath at a royal palace.
Professor Ọbádélé Kambon, a full Professor of African Linguistics at the University of Ghana, was enstooled as Apagyahene and Sunsum Ɔsahene of Akuapem Mampong in the Eastern Region in a ceremony that brought academia and traditional authority together.
For the professor, the occasion was more than a new title. It was a moment that connected his academic interests in African languages and indigenous knowledge with the living traditions of an Akan community.
The day’s events unfolded through a series of customary observances. Kambon was first taken to the compounds of the Ɔkyeamehene and Gyasehene, where the preparations for his installation continued.
Then came the application of hyire, the white kaolin powder associated with traditional rites.
With the customary proceedings underway, the new chief was lifted onto the shoulders of celebrants and carried along the main thoroughfare of Akuapem Mampong.
The procession transformed the streets into a public stage for a ceremony rooted in the community’s traditional institutions.
There was something striking about the image, a university professor, accustomed to the measured language of academic discourse, being carried through the town in a display of traditional recognition.
Yet the celebration was not complete with the procession.
A ram was sacrificed at the Mamponghene’s compound before Kambon was taken to the palace, to swear the oath associated with his new offices.
The ceremony brought him formally into his roles as Apagyahene and Sunsum Ɔsahene.
Beyond the colourful proceedings, the titles themselves carry layers of historical meaning.
Kambon in his research explores the historical connections between Apagya and Akan political and military organisation.
Accounts cited in his work linked Apagya to an asafo, or military company, while historical writing traces an Apagya stool in Asante to the reign of Opoku Ware I in the eighteenth century.
These historical associations offer a glimpse into the institutions that have shaped Akan society over generations, although they do not automatically define the precise responsibilities of the office in Akuapem Mampong.
Kambon’s own professional life reflects a similar interest in preserving and examining African knowledge.
His work encompasses Akan language structure, naming practices across the Black world, proverbs and indigenous intellectual traditions.
Through Abibitumi, the platform he founded, he also promotes language learning, scholarship and cultural engagement.
But tradition was only one part of the story that day.
When the formal ceremony gave way to a reception, the occasion expanded into a celebration of three milestones: Kambon’s enstoolment, his promotion to full professor and his daughter Ama’s admission to the University of Ghana.
The gathering therefore carried a personal significance that went beyond the honours bestowed on one man. 
It celebrated professional advancement, the continuation of family aspirations and a connection to cultural heritage.
For a father, seeing a daughter gain admission to the same university where he holds a distinguished academic position offered another reason to celebrate.
For the professor, the moment placed family achievement alongside his own professional and traditional milestones.
Kambon had already established a place in the traditional life of Akuapem Mampɔn through an earlier installation as Banmuhene Kyidɔmhene, recorded in 2017.
His latest enstoolment adds another chapter to that relationship.
In Akuapem Mampɔn, the day brought together the university, the palace and the family table in one celebration. And for Kambon, the journey from the lecture room to the traditional procession showed how scholarship, cultural responsibility and family achievement could converge in a single memorable occasion.
By Enoch Ntiamoah Siaw
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Intercity STC Coaches Limited has interdicted a driver captured in a viral video allegedly hitting a Sprinter bus during an overtaking manoeuvre at Pokuase before driving away from the scene.
In a public notice, the company described the driver’s conduct as unacceptable, stressing that it did not reflect the safety standards and professionalism it upholds.
Management said it had commenced an immediate investigation into the incident and identified the driver, who has been interdicted pending the outcome of the disciplinary process.
The company added that it was awaiting an official report from the Pokuase Police Command to help establish the facts surrounding the incident.
STC reaffirmed its commitment to passenger safety and responsible road use, while thanking members of the public for bringing the incident to its attention.
Management assured the public that appropriate action would be taken following the investigation.
By: Jacob Aggrey
