KYIV, Ukraine, April 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Coffin Dance" meme, one of the most viral memes in recent years that has also been shared by former US President Donald Trump, will be auctioned as part of efforts to support Ukraine.
The famous "Coffin Dance" meme, also dubbed as Dancing Pallbearers or Dancing Coffin, a viral meme that shows Ghanian pallbearers dancing while carrying a coffin, is set to be auctioned on April 7.
The announcement came from Benjamin Aidoo and the meme's characters, who are set to hold the auction as a show of support for Ukraine. Previously, the Foundation platform, where the auction will take place, has already held auctions of famous Internet memes. Nyan Cat was sold for 300 ETH Feb 19, 2021, DisasterGirl was sold for 180 ETH Apr 18, 2021, and Attached Girlfriend was sold for 200 ETH Apr 4, 2021.
"This battle is not only for Ukraine, but the whole of free Europe. If Ukraine does not hold out, the world may be on the verge of a third world war," Benjamin Aidoo said in a video, which showed the other Ghanian pallbearers sitting next to him.
On February 24, Russian troops poured over the border of Ukraine, where Russian planes and missile launchers attacked cities and airports in Ukraine.
The attack, which the Ukraine government called "a full-scale attack from multiple directions," spanned much of the nation.
The group's appeal was posted on the Matthew "DigiNeko" Ordrick YouTube channel, the same platform where this meme was born.
"Together with the Ukrainian PR community, we are putting all our global popularity on the NFT auction of our meme Coffin Dance (Dancing Pallbearers) on April 7, 2022, in order to help stop death in Ukraine and help the people of Ukraine who are having a hard time," the post states.
COVID-19 has spawned hundreds of memes, but none as all-pervasive and ubiquitous as the "dancing coffin" group from Ghana. The dancing pallbearers seen in the macabre yet humorous memes popularized by COVID are sound tracked in almost every video posted by a decade-old track from Russian composer Tony Igy, popularly known as "Astronomia."
In 2020, the meme was shared by former US President Donald Trump on his official Facebook page, which mocked a controversial statement made by his Democratic rival, Joe Biden.
"Our dance has always been cheerful, and we have tried to give a smile to this world amid the difficult time. We do not consider death to be something good. It is very bad. And throughout our dance, we are trying to heal the soul and hearts of loved ones and relatives," explains Benjamin Aidoo.
By buying an NFT token with the famous image, those interested can be sure that they are the official owner of the meme, which will be released in a single copy. This status also includes unlimited royalty-free commercial use of the photo and its elements, as well as the use of the visual image of Dancing Pallbearers for merch production in any country of the world.
The group said 25% of the funds from the sale of the meme would be transferred to the Ukrainian charitable foundation "Come Back Alive" in a bid to support the Ukrainian army and its heroic people.
The same part will be transferred to the support of the group's Ukrainian friends -- employees of a large Ukrainian advertising agency, who lost their income, and many of whom were forced to leave their homes to begin a new life due to the war. Benjamin Aidoo said the report would be on his Instagram account at the end of the auction. The other half will provide an opportunity for new creativity and the development of the African culture of music and dance by the team of Benjamin Aidoo.
"We have almost no profit from our popularity before. All meme videos were monetized by the music label. We need ur support for further creative development, as well as help from Ukraine. We can do a lot if we finally have the resources to develop our creativity, this will also give an ever-increasing value to our world fame put up for auction" - said Benjamin Aidoo
Those who want to learn more about the auction may check out the video on the "DigiNeko" Ordrick YouTube channel, the Benjamin Aidoo Twitter account and the Bads Agency website for more information.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoQ-wb1AMAk
