By John Owoo

(In Accra – Ghana)

Spanning three days of presentations by literary legends, readings, panel discussions, book launches /signings, PaGya Literary Festival 2019 ended on Sunday October 20 at the Goethe-Institut in Accra.

Indeed, it was a memorable celebration of reading, writing, performance and publishing, which embraced literature lovers from fifteen countries in Europe, the United States and others parts of Africa.

With big names such as Prof. Ato Quayson, Prof. Esi Sutherland and Prof. Kofi Anyidoho  (Ghana), PaGya equally paraded several female writers including  Phillippa Yaa De Villiers (South Africa), Kathleho Kano Shoro / Mmakgoshi Anita Tau (Botswana) and Oyinkansola Ifeoluwa Braithwaite (Nigeria).

Easily one of the largest gathering of literature lovers in Ghana, the festival equally provided a platform to writers who don’t always get heard while keeping the spirit of creativity intact and alive in the city of Accra and beyond.

One of the memorable moments was a spoken word / poetry session that centered on similar themes – gender, love, culture and politics – but each was delivered with its own breath, flair, jargons and passion thereby swaying the audience from one act to the other.

With enthusiasm and energy that was quite infectious, Tanya Evanson (Canada), Feleicia Cade (USA), Poetess Phopho (Botswana), Hasmullah, Kwame Brenya, Nana Asaase, Mariska Taylor (Ghana) delighted the crowd with clearly rehearsed recitals as introductions and poems flowed effortlessly.

Interspersed with music and images beamed on a giant screen, their delivery was magical, perfectly timed, clear and poignant. Indeed, they tended to allow the poems to speak for themselves while subtly stressing the significant lines that may not fully come alive when read from a book.

Goethe-Institut Ghana sponsored the festival, which was organized in collaboration with the Writers Project of Ghana under the direction of Dr. Martin Egblewogbe and Mamle Kabu.

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By John Owoo

(In Accra – Ghana)

Prof. Ato Quayson last week dilated on several issues relating to his award winning books “Oxford Street” and “Fathers & Daughters” in a chat with Prof. Esi Sutherland during the opening ceremony of PaGya Literary Festival at the Goethe-Institut in Accra.

Prof. Sutherland (Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana) engaged Prof. Quayson (Department of English, Stanford University – USA) on the roots of cosmopolitanism, urbanism and distribution of space among others following his descriptive account of the city of Accra in “Oxford Street”.

Indeed, Prof. Quayson unearthed the various planning systems that have shaped Accra alongside diverse effects that were compounded by the International Monetary Fund’s certified structural adjustment programs, which largely prepared the way for the early transformation of Osu from a largely residential neighborhood into a dynamic shopping, business and recreational area.

He revealed through “Oxford Street”, the penetrating commercialism, which clearly coexists with blatant economic inequalities thereby making this famous road a microcosm of historical and urban processes that have turned Accra into the variegated and contradictory metropolis it has become.

PaGya equally hosted workshops on Spoken Word / Poetry” (Tanya Evanson – Canada), “Young Adult Fiction” (Yaba Badoe – UK / Ghana), “Non Fiction & Memoirs” (Sabata Mpho Mokae & Pelu Awofeso – South Africa / Nigeria), “Writing Conscience into Fiction” (Chuma Nwokolo) and “Poetry” (Phillippa Yaa De Villiers – South Africa) were held concurrently in various spaces of the Institut.  

Reading / discussions involved Oliver Van Beemen (A Multinational Unleashed), Maria Kwami (Secrets of the Bending Grove), Ositadima Amakaze (The Last Carver), The Waiting (Dr. Martin Egblewogbe), Ayesha Harunna Atta (Les Cent Puis de Salaga), Empi Baryeh (Expecting Ty’s Baby) and Yaba Badoe (Wolf Light and A Jigsaw of Fire and Stars).

Panel discussion topics include “Non Fiction, Memoirs and Biographies”, “Personal Perspectives on Popular Fiction”, “Writing for Children”, “Literary Reviews”, “New Initiatives by Libraries in Ghana”, “Literary Reviews”, “Trends in Ghanaian Contemporary Theatre” and  “Sci Fi and Fantasy in Contemporary African Writing / Afrofuturism” among others.

Spoken word performers and poets, who captivated literature lovers include Kathleho Kano Shoro / Mmakgoshi Anita Tau (Botswana), Nana Asaase / Kwame Nwom (Ghana), Tanya Evanson (Canada), Phillippa Yaa De Villiers / Nametso (South Africa) and Mariska Araba Taylor / Eliplim Akorli (Ghana).

Goethe-Institut Ghana sponsored PaGya Literary Festival 2019, which organized in collaboration with the Writers Project of Ghana under the direction of Dr. Martin Egblewogbe and Mamle Kabu.

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By John Owoo

(In Accra – Ghana)

“Chronicles of Klinu”, a digital game developed by a group of young graduates and tertiary students with support from Goethe-Institut Ghana, was last week launched with a vibrant ceremony in Accra.

Launching the game, which forms part of a project dubbed “Enter Africa” – the director of the Goethe-Institut Heike Friesel – revealed that the Goethe-Institut has been supporting the creation of similar games in fifteen countries throughout Sub Saharan Africa.

She added that Enter Africa is a project initiated by the Goethe-Institut, which involves many partners including game design / gamification experts, architects and urban planners from Germany and Ethiopia as well as other stakeholder organizations from different African countries.

Countries involved are Senegal, Kenya, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Namibia, Togo, La Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Tanzania, Cameroon and Ghana, which has Prince Andrew Ardayfio, Matthew Hansen and Louis Makafui at the helm of affairs.

The game is set in Agbogbloshie, a suburb of Accra noted for dumping and burning of e-waste. A player embodies Klinu, a space commander who works for a cooperation that is responsible for sanitation in N’evulandi, a distant utopia far advanced in technologies and the spheres of science.

However, the company made mistakes in the disposal of hardware and electronic waste. Klinu loses his wife to Lera, a creature who emerged out of the old electronics as a result of improper disposal of waste. In an attempt to seek refuge, Lera flees N’evulandi to Earth, forcing Klinu’s hand.

The games being created in all the fifteen countries anticipate a transformation process of cities and envision future scenarios, which include challenges for infrastructure, culture, environment and how they awareness would be created and solved in a playful way.

Consequently, all participating countries will identify joint topics and create one analogue African game with a focus on borderless frontiers and the promotion of African cultures, which would be made accessible to the general public throughout the continent and beyond.

Indeed, this project has generated a network of creative, innovative and young professionals across the African continent – the Enter Africa Community. Together, hey will employ the use games and game thinking to realize colossal visions for Africa’s future.

“Chronicles of Klinu”, which was tested at Agbogbloshie by a participants of a film workshop organized by the Goethe-Institut, will be presented at Gamescom, a games festival, which would be held in the German city of Cologne in August 2019.

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By John Owoo

(In Accra – Ghana)

Gallery 1957 in Accra brought nostalgic feelings as I walk calmly into its well lit space – I am immediately confronted by a façade of a Ghanaian house that serves as an objective and symbolic window into the life of Ghanaian artist Gideon Appah.

As I get closer, the reminiscence appears to intensify as I set my eyes on a black and white television set, Gold Star VHS video recorder, broken ladder, wooden bench, banana or plantain tree, trap doors with inscriptions by kids, broken flower pots and rusted aluminum roofing sheets.

Severally and jointly, the artist brings his childhood memories and upbringing in focus through his family life while re-contextualizing the family space with multi layered stories that resonate the lives and activities of many African families.   

Indeed, memorable love letters, personal / family photos covered in transparent plastic sheets and films produced in Ghana on VHS tapes, which highlight themes relating to preservation of local traditions against embracing global desires and foreign cultures effectively add to the unfolding narrative of Appah.   

His large-scale paintings employ a chromatic language that uncovers hidden historical tales and communal predictions that engulfed his family while reflecting those of his neighborhood, its immediate environs and the country at large.

Spirituality is visible with churchgoers clad in while apparel set against blue backgrounds while melancholy waters from surreal works come together to reveal the spirituality and physicality of Appah’s story with others depicting the space between domesticity and folklore.

Appah, who is the winner of the 1^st Merit Prize Award at the Barclays l’Atelier Art Competition in Johannesburg (South Africa), has featured in group shows at FRACCIONAR – Casa Luis Barragán (Mexico), a booth with Gallery 1957 at 1-54 Contemporary Africa Art Fair (New York – USA) and the Goethe-Institut (Accra – Ghana).   

Katherine Finerty (USA) and Michael Babanawo (Ghana) are curating the exhibition, which is titled “Love Letters”. It ends on Thursday August 15.

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By John Owoo

(In Accra – Ghana)

An exhibition of humorous artworks by Ghanaian pop artist Bright Ackwerh that confront the viewer with serious thoughts while making him / her chuckle, is currently underway at the Goethe-Institut in Accra.

Characterized by intrepid imagery, bold colours and imaginative interpretations, the critical pieces comment on contemporary geo-political crises in the world through a shrewd use of food culture.

Indeed, works on display are portrayed through a pragmatic, realistic, objective and entertaining approach thereby providing a harmonious appearance to the absurdities and contradictions of the world.

The artworks, which feature leaders of several countries in Africa, Europe, United States, Asia and British monarchs, are collective although the artist makes subtle attempts to individualize them while objectivizing emotions and gestures through sumptuous cuisine.   

With exaggerated images of political and royal leaders, Ackwerh keeps geo-political, economic and social issues alive by stimulating a discourse on global problems that range from international trade, food imports / exports ratio and its effects on economies and consumers.  

Undeniably, the works are quite distinctive / comprehensive – and plays with the misunderstanding of reality / idealism as well as authenticity/ imitation – while showcasing the role of humour in shaping human thought.

Ackwerh collaborated with the South African curator Ruth Simbao in a 2018 project that has metamorphosed into an itinerant exhibition, which started at the Raw Spot Gallery in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

Educated at the Department of Painting and Sculpture, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (Kumasi), he is inspired by popular culture while creating works that challenge misplaced power of diverse geo-political events.

The exhibition, which ends on Friday August 9, was opened Dr. Joseph Oduro-Frimpong, Director of the Centre for African Popular Culture, Ashesi University, Berekuso. Goethe-Institut Ghana is supporting the exhibition.

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By John Owoo

(In Accra – Ghana)

The serene terrace of the Goethe-Institut in Accra fell into a fleeting silence as rhythms from a xylophone played by multi instrumentalist Aaron Bebe transformed the cool night air into a musical groove.

With dimly lit flashlights glowing in between assorted plants and flowers, Bebe alongside percussionist Mustapha Bortier and bassist Joshua Nkansah, successfully expressed the musical soul of Ghana through a dramatic fusion of diverse indigenous instruments.  

Bebe, who at various stages of the concert, introduced and played xylophone / seperewa from Ghana as well as mbira from Zimbabwe, exhibited imaginative solos from all three instruments that revealed the beauty, diversity and capacities of traditional African instruments.

“The audience had a very close interaction with the three musicians as soft and tender rhythms flowed freely from the stage.  The percussionist surprised me with his rather soft approach to playing”, said Margaret Tinsen, a teacher from the United Kingdom.

An apostle of contemporary Ghanaian music, Bebe created his own world of music in which melody, harmony and rhythm flowed into an unceasing stream alongside lyrics in Ga, Twi, Dagarti and English that comment on love, peace, wisdom and corruption among others.

Complimented by subtle kpanlogo and djembe drumming, the trio transported the audience to rural parts of Ghana with extensions of traditional rhythms that echoed the skills of ancient Ghanaian composers and performers.

The audience could not help but ask for more as Bebe played a couple of tracks from  “N’yong”, a fifteen piece album, which was recorded in The Netherlands during a performance tour that featured the eminent ethnomusicologist Prof. John Collins. 

Currently an instructor at the Music Department, University of Ghana, Bebe has performed with Novisi Dance Group, Ghana Dance Ensemble, Pan-African Orchestra, Abibigromma and Hewale Sounds alongside holding workshops for students and lecturers in the United States, several countries in Europe and many parts of Africa.

The performance, which formed part of “Goethe Abansoro”, a hub that has been providing acoustic music of all genres, was supported by the Goethe-Institut.  

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By John Owoo

(In Accra – Ghana)

Nana Oforiatta Ayim, curator of Ghana’s pavilion at the ongoing Venice Biennial in Italy last Thursday declared Ghana’s maiden presence at the 124 year old art festival as a resounding success.

In a presentation last Thursday at The Studio in Accra, she said in spite of the challenges, panics, dramas, chaos and disasters behind the scenes, she and her colleagues managed to put together pavilion that fascinated visitors and critics with its curved galleries and artworks that celebrate Ghana’s legacy.  

The team, which include acclaimed Ghanaian architect David Adjaye alongside priceless advice from the late Nigerian curator Okwui Enwezor, created a pavilion that mesmerized visitors and earned rave reviews from diverse journalists, writers and art critics.  

Undeniably, it is an uphill task for African countries to make a strong presence at the Venice Biennial owing largely to economic reasons and the intricacies of the Biennial procedure, which has over the years inhibited participation by various African countries. 

Dubbed “Ghana Freedom” after the late Ghanaian Highlife maestro E.T. Mensah’s song, the elliptical pavilion is characterized by coiled galleries splashed with earth imported from Ghana that recall the skills of traditional Ghanaian architects and craftsmen.

Ayim dilated on artists on display at the pavilion describing them as across generations with works that examine the legacies and trajectories of Ghana’s freedom, which they boldly expressed in diverse, distinct and varied ways.

They include Nigeria based master El Anatsui, United Kingdom based John Akomfrah, Selasi Awusi Sosu and Lynette Boakye-Yiadom alongside Ghana based Ibrahim Mahama and veteran photographer Felicia Abban.

The pavilion is decked with large-scale installations by Anatsui / Mahama, a three channel film by Akomfrah, video sculpture by Sosu and representational portraits by Abban / Boakye-Yiadom, which severally and jointly symbolize and question the sprit of freedom.

The curator stated that one would notice a discourse amongst the artworks as they navigate the elliptical spaces of the pavilion while revealing that the soil imported from Ghana added a visceral depth making the feeling in the pavilion different from all others.  

Ayim revealed that artworks currently on show will be exhibited at the National Museum in Accra and other locations throughout the country adding that the question of freedom, who we are and how Ghanaians view it will continue to be discussed as part of these exhibitions.

A filmmaker, writer and art historian, Ayim studied Russian Literature and Politics at the Bristol University in the United Kingdom (UK). She has an MA in African Art History and an MPhil in African Languages and Cultures from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, also in the UK.

Currently, the director of ANO, a non-profit organization, which aims at uncovering and creating new cultural narratives of the African continent, Ayim has won a number of awards and has written for publications such as “Frieze”, “Manifests”, “Kaleidoscope” and “African Modern Architecture”.

Established in 1895, the Venice Biennale is one of the most prestigious cultural institutions in the world – a prestige it has maintained till date owing to its ability to anticipate new trends in art and, at the same time, to present works and artists of every period under renewed perspectives. 

blaxTARLINES Kumasi, Foundation for Contemporary Art Ghana and The Studio Accra organized the programme.

Venice Pictures – Courtesy of Ghana Pavilion

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By John Owoo

(In Accra – Ghana)

Ha Orchestra, the first African Symphonic Orchestra in Scotland and the United Kingdom recently charmed audiences in the Scottish city of Edinburgh with slow, delicate and glorious tunes as well as emotionally rich sounds. 

Performing as part of the European Conference on African Studies, the group exhibited high energy and enthusiasm during the concerts, which were characterized by elegant, beautiful, playful and dramatic compositions.  

Set up a few years ago by Ghanaian creative arts director / academic Dr. Gameli Tordzro, the orchestra aims at bringing together musicians from different cultural heritages to create music that sounds different from the western classical music played in Africa and the African diaspora.

It was largely inspired by the late Ghanaian composer Nana Danso Abiam’s practice of integrating regional music of Africa into a new classical synthesis thereby creating a symphonic system, which is different from established western classical repertoire in Africa and the Diaspora.

Based in Scotland, the orchestra comprises musicians from Ghana, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Gambia, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Morocco, Belgium, Scotland, England, Denmark and France, who play diverse instruments from the African continent and elsewhere.

In 2014, the orchestra worked with five learning communities across the city of Glasgow (Scotland) as they set up music making workshops with schools, colleges and communities while creating learning opportunities for children and adults of all ages.

In Ghana, the orchestra worked and performed with the Noyam African Dance Ensemble in the hillside town of Dodowa, while working on a series of programmes with the University of Ghana, Legon.

The group equally offers teaching of African musical instruments, performance opportunities, schools / community events, venue tours and master classes alongside research and knowledge exchange opportunities for academics in high and further education institutions.

Ha Orchestra has also been involved in research at the University of Glasgow’s (Scotland) “RM Borders Production,” “Broken World Broken Word” and a current project dubbed “South-South Migration Inequality and Development Hub.

The hub’s agenda include deepening understanding of the dynamics, transnational interplay between SSM, inequality and development by bringing together an interdisciplinary, cross-sectorial team of researchers from 12 ODA-recipient countries constituting six SSM ‘corridors’ within which there are significant two-way movements of people, goods, money, knowledge and skills as well as social and cultural ideas and relationships.

Examine the ways and contexts within which multidimensional inequalities both create and constrain the opportunities and benefits of South-South migration, exploring both horizontal (gender, age) and vertical (income) inequalities from an intersectional perspective, drawing in other relevant axes of inequality including religion, ethnicity and language.

Others are analyzing how configurations of policies (migration, development, basic services, social protection) and other factors (labour markets, financial institutions, legal frameworks, national/natural disasters, conflict) that intersect with inequalities to migration processes and outcomes for different groups in both origin and destination countries.

Evaluate the effectiveness of interventions and policies designed to tackle inequalities associated with migration including political mobilization and transnational solidarity building, access to legal remedies to deliver an opportunity for those who move and the use of ICT to facilitate access to information and services.

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By John Owoo

(In Accra – Ghana)

A cool breeze loosely shifted leaves of trees at the Alliance Française last Saturday – as an artiste taking on the role of a “griot” – begins the narration of life’s journey, which comprised acts that are traceable to our varied art forms. 

Titled “Ajenuloo”, the colourful performance showcased assorted aspects of Ghanaian culture and traditions by members of the Ghana Dance Ensemble – who kept the audience at the edge of their seats with fast moving scenes – that flowed into each other with relative ease.

Indeed, the musical pulse of beat making created an atmosphere of calmness that conformed to ritualism and ceremonialism as the dancers enacted a near forgotten journey that unfolded the story of a country – indeed its people, its culture and its norms. 

Choreographed by Nene Narh Hagoe, acting artistic director of the ensemble, the piece is undeniably a groundbreaking performance that speaks across ethnic, cultural, linguistic and geographical divides while telling a compelling story through riddles.

Accompanied by traditional drummers, flutists, seperewa players and recorded music, the choreographer managed to streamline Ghanaian traditions and culture, which was presented on stage by skillful dancers and musicians.

Along with the music was a tender quality of movement that conveyed a secret language of gesture where trained bodies offered varied constructions of femininity, masculinity and neutrality thereby revealing the complexity and diversity of our lives as Ghanaians.    

With a creative set design that comprised stylized trees and huts by David Amoo, the group created miniature narratives of our life’s story including scenes from formalized practices from Ghanaian traditional religions and social ceremonies.    

Currently based at the Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana (Legon), Ghana Dance Ensemble was formed in 1962 by the first Ghanaian president, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah as a research institute and performing entity with a mandate to preserve Ghanaian culture.

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By John Owoo

(In Accra – Ghana)

Dynamic poet / spoken word artist Oswald Okaitei on Wednesday surprised poetry lovers in Accra with a dramatic presentation of strung poems, which flowed into each other with relative ease.

Performing at the Goethe-Institut in Accra as part of a monthly acoustic session, the poet gave a rendition of his own poems alongside works by Ghanaian literary giants including the late Prof. Attukwei Okai, Prof. Lade Wosornu, Prof. Kofi Anyidohu and Dr. Mawuli Adzei.

Amidst applause from the audience, Okaitei performed a conceptualized version of these emotionally charged poems, which he adapted into the era of pre-colonialism while reminding the crowd of the apparent loss of Ghana’s cultural values owing to foreign interventions.   

Together with school kids and a group of ladies known as Achievers Ghana who performed while seated in the midst of the audience, Okaitei showcased the prowess of diction, use of metaphors, alliteration, imagery, witticism, symbolism and other devices employed by these great poets.

“It is refreshing to note that several venues have opened their doors for poets to perform and earn a living in the process. We have indeed moved from the scarcity of opportunities for performance poets. Thanks to the Goethe-Institut for providing a platform for poets”, said Yaw Adu, a poet in Accra.

Undeniably, a cool balance between rawness and style allowed Okaitei’s words to shine and soar through the cool night air as choral music, acoustic guitars and traditional drums provided inspirational rhythms. With an unruffled calmness, he proved that poetry performance could be delivered in diverse ways with varied outcomes.

Through a rather practical, blunt, direct tone and humorous language, his poems moved with controlled energy as stanza after stanza blended into each other with panache. Employing expressive physical gestures that engaged the audience, the poet eventually slowed down and read from a number of his recent works.

Dubbed “Goethe Abansoro”, the monthly acoustic sessions offer artists and their audiences a cozy atmosphere on a decorated terrace to interact while enjoying recent artistic creations.  

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