Art Worlds in Ghana

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.

Just got back from Nima: Muhinmanchi Art. I could hardly be happier, I was smiling the whole day. It may have been a bit crazy and crowded (Nima kids are a handful), but the art was amazing, the murals were so so beautiful, and man, the place was packed.

I’m touched by the kindness and support we received — from David, the manager at Paloma Restaurant who drove over half the food packages when our car was too full; to Jane, a waitress who’d helped me with directions last week, and actually came to the event; to Alex Akuffo, our photographer who got married YESTerday but came anyway; to my Ghanaian family the Otoos (they all came to “dangerous” Nima, even the kids); to my professor Jesse Shipley, the only one to be at my Ghana arts events both here and at Haverford (Intersecting Zones in December); to Panji, a hip life music producer I thought might be too busy to come, but ended up staying the whole day and said he’d be behind making this program an annual event. That’s not even the half of it, I can’t begin to thank the artists, students, sponsors, community leaders, and friends who came together today. I’m so lucky to have had Larry and Musah as partners, and Kelvin as my boss. K I’ll stop, sorry for getting sentimental guys.

Now they’re talking about V.I.P. and their new single on the radio. I feel pretty proud to have had them at our event. It was Prodigal’s birthday Thursday btw, happy birthday Prodigal (one of the three members).

Will post pictures later. Mom and Dad, hope you’re ready for all the paintings I bought.

P.S. Our IndieGogo fundraising site shuts down today, but if anyone wants to donate directly…we went a lettle bit over budget. Contact me.