Art Worlds in Ghana

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.

Coral Paint agreed to be a sponsor and give us discounted supplies. Unik Image, which was going to give us a heavy discount, instead printed our posters (which look fab) completely FREE. Now we can spend the money on more art supplies. Woot woot. Also did I mention that Paloma Restaurant is providing some dishes for free, and Larry (Aminu)’s sister will cook up a huge pot of jollof rice for everyone?

Musah’s been busy buying supplies at the market. He, Larry, and Sharif met with the kids for more workshops yesterday. (Serge Attukwei Clottey is rejoining us next week once he’s done with his residency.) Musah was telling me about the pieces the students at Adab are doing…a mosque, a typical home in Nima, women fetching water. I can’t wait to see. In the meantime, I have lots of rounds to do, dropping off posters at various media houses and embassies. Can’t believe the event is one week from today.

And now I’m off to Chale Wote, that street art festival in Jamestown I mentioned in a previous post. Musah and Larry are both doing a painting on a building, Attukwei has his own show, and a bunch of my other friends are involved – Ato and Adwoa from the FCA; Bernard Akoi-Jackson whom I finally got to sit down with this week; Toke Olagbaju, a friend of a friend who runs I Heart Accra…and more.