Confusion reigns as fans open late DJ Arafat’s coffin after buria
Fans of the late DJ Arafat besieged his grave to open the coffin he was buried in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
On Saturday, August 31, 2019, thousands of fans of late DJ Arafat besieged his graveside to open the coffin he was buried in.
The fans, who swarm around the graveyard, opened the coffin to take photos of the corpse. They also tried touching his body to confirm it’s their music idol.
This commotion prompted the Ivorien police to fire teargas to disperse the huge crowd.
After a private family burial at the Williamsville cemetery in Abidjan’s working-class Adjame district, events took a dark turn as fans battled police preventing them from entering the cemetery.
However, several of the fans made it into the cemetery after which they forced open the fresh grave and coffin of the late DJ Arafat.
The coffin opening came after an overnight funeral concert where tens of thousands of Ivorians and citizens of neighbouring African countries paid tribute to the late Arafat.
Throughout the night, A-list African stars such as Davido, Fally Ipupa, Serge Beynaud and Sidiki Diabate had sung in memory of DJ Arafat, who died aged 33 on August 12, 2019, after a motorbike crash in Abidjan.
On Saturday morning, August 31, 2019, before the private burial, DJ Arafat’s casket was placed at the center of the 35,000-capacity Felix Houphouet-Boigny stadium in Abidjan, drawing wild applause before the mood turned sad and many of his fans burst into tears.
