Art Worlds in Ghana

I’ve told you plenty about our program for Nima: Muhinmanchi Art, but not so much about our artist coordinators, Yussif Aminu Larry and Musah Swallah. As we work behind-the-scenes on organizing the second annual Nima: Muhinmanchi Art, let me tell you a bit about our coordinators and their impressive work.

They are two of the most dedicated, generous, and proactive people I have ever met…from their tireless work arranging for supplies, running workshops, and building a team; to always accompanying me on the twenty minute walk to the tro-tro car home; to insisting on buying my mango when I was in their home turf…to their current efforts at planning for our next program amidst all their school and professional work. Which is not even to mention their beautiful and innovative artwork. Read on, check out the Facebook album, and LIKE Nima: Muhinmanchi Art, facebook.com/nimaart.gh. Tell us what you think on the Facebook page!

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Just got a surprise call from Pastor Johnson, Sister Euphemia’s pastor from Ada. I hadn’t spoken to him last summer.

He said he was just looking through his phonebook and thought of me. He’s moved to Accra now. He still thinks of me when he wears the sunglasses I gave him. I asked if they help him see better. I still have the oil he gave me. I think he was looking for a visa, and maybe also a wife, because he asked if I have a boyfriend.

Here is a picture of us from when we met last summer. Euphemia snapped our photo while we were in the middle of a serious theological debate. He said that day would change my life.

The site’s been ready for ages, www.wizkudowor.com, but I finally got some technical glitches sorted (thanks to Jenn and Sebastianna from Haverford’s Communications for help along the way).

Now feast your eyes. Wiz paints ephemeral faces, figures, and abstract shapes with just a foam roller and palette knife to sharpen the edges. Look closely and you’ll see layer upon layer reveal itself. Enjoy.

And while you’re at it, take a look back at Larry’s site (my Ghanaian dad), www.larryotoo.com. His vibrant, abstract paintings capture the rhythm and beat of daily life in Ghana, from sassy market ladies to slick jazz scenes to compositions of adinkra fertility symbols. Larry is known for his use of color, but recently he’s been painting in gray palettes with streaks of gold or bronze. Like his Facebook page, will ya? With seven more fans he can be a real “celeb.”

www.larryotoo.com, check it out. It’s been up for some time now, sorry I didn’t post you earlier. Thanks to the fabulous Sebastianna in Haverford’s Communications for technical help.

And happy yesterday birthday to Wiz!

P.S. I’m taking a Twi class at Penn (the most widespread local language in Ghana). Today I finally understood an interaction I had one day with one of the pure water sellers at Nungua while waiting for the tro-tro. I was eating a piece of corn, and she kept calling me something like “mommy” or “mami.” Everyone crowded around laughing, and I was just confused. Well, today I realized that she wasn’t calling me her mom. She was saying “Ma me!” (Give me)

Album’s right here. Facebook page is up too, don’t forget to “like” it!

A huge thanks to Alex Akuffo Productions and Bank.foto for the photos (which has its own album from the event here…and some great captions).

Kamal, Musah, and another Nima artist

Btw I’m home safe, everyone. And happy to see friends and family, but missing Ghana already… Going to try to get some Ghana-in-New York at hip life rapper Sarkodie’s first New York concert next weekend, though. Anyone wanna come with??

Last night I dragged a friend to hip life artist D-Black’s send-off party in Harlem. All the great music, almost felt like Ghana again. And finally met Hashim from Boogie Down Nima in person, who connected us with V.I.P. (friend of Eli Jacobs-Fantauzzi, who came to Haverford last fall to show his film Homegrown: Hip Life in Ghana).

In the meantime, working on making Nima: Muhinmanchi Art an annual event. In touch with lots of media stations, working on proposals…

P.S. Apologies for the blog-absence (blog-sence? blog-a-sence?) toward the end of my time in Ghana. So busy had noo time for internet cafes.