This book seeks to understand why contemporary burial practices in Gabon feature an astonishing abundance of photographs and video recordings of the deceased during the wake and funeral, while in many cultures the image of the dead is simply forbidden. The interest in the cultural taboo governing the representation of the dead thus gradually and paradoxically shifts to the 'new practice' that dates back to the 1980s in Libreville, which involves capturing the deceased in photographic images and documenting all stages from the wake to the burial.