By John Owoo

(In Accra – Ghana)

“Araminta”, a multi disciplinary production comprising music, dance and theatre – on Friday robustly re-enacted the story of Harriet Tubman – an African American woman who became famous for helping free hundreds of slaves.

In an alluring performance by the National Dance Company, National Symphony Orchestra and the National Dance Company at the National Theatre in Accra, the audience was left spellbound with the tenacity, forbearance and resilience of Tubman, who was born Araminta Ross.

Put together by Stephany Yamoah, Andrea Vony Lee, Mawuli Semevo and Isaac Annor, the audience was treated to a medley of touching negro spirituals, sublime instrumentals, communicative dance movements and delicate acting that unveiled the story of a heroine, who stood up among her peers.

Born in 1820 on one of the slave plantations in the United States, the story of her life as unwrapped by over fifty artists, is one of backbone labour, brutalities, relationships, marriages, alcohol binges (whenever possible), conspiracies and the numerous times Tubman risked her freedom / life to free fellow slaves.

An engaging narrative, the performance took the crowd on a historical journey with a huge emotional appeal. Indeed, the dancers twitch, wriggle and twirl as they exude rather quirky personalities with the harsh conditions suffered on day-to-day basis by slaves becoming apparent.

Full of craft and gracefulness, scenes from “Araminta” are quite dark in its visual design as it blends with its subject matter. Indeed, while at first it is itself a bit bewildering, it becomes increasingly powerful and moving as it absorbs you into the world of Tubman.

Born a slave herself, Tubman fled from Maryland to freedom in Philadelphia (all in the USA) in 1849. For the next ten years, she made repeated secret trips back to Maryland, leading over three hundred escaped slaves northwards to freedom in Canada.

After the Civil War began in 1861 she also served the Union as a scout, spy and nurse. Her success at shepherding others to safety earned her the nickname “the Moses of her people” making her a lasting symbol of the American anti-slavery movement.

By Alfred Tamakloe

(In Copenhagen – Denmark)

“Esinam”, a new EP by Belgian / Ghanaian multi instrumentalist Esinam Dogbatse, carries influences from different worlds – geographically, culturally and musically -alongside a cool blending of traditional / modern instruments and a soulful voice.

Undeniably, the acoustic sounds of the instruments are allowed to evolve and take on new dimensions while opening up a kaleidoscopic spectrum of sound and colour. During the recording of the EP, she joined forces with Jules Fradet from Studio Planet (Damso, Veence Hanao, Afrikan Prötökol).

Producing and playing most of the instruments herself, the EP was mastered by LA based producer Kelly Hibbert aka Almachrome, J. Dilla, Madlib, Little Dragon, Flying Lotus, Ebo Taylor, Mark de Clive-Lowe and Arca.

Lead track “Birds Fly Under This Heavy Sky” is a mesmerizing opener that smolders effortlessly against a backdrop of subtle beats and sensual rhythms with Esinam’s soft vocals and hypnotic flute providing the groove.

On “Do Not Go Into That Black Night”, she is dark and direct. It’s a magnetic take on jazz noire that doesn’t distract from the sultry inflections of her voice while “Gavoé” recalls the spirit of her Ghanaian roots in a ballet of instruments that display a level of personal freedom and sensitivity. Through merging different genres of music, we are warmly welcomed into her musical universe.

She teamed up with Senegalese DJ and producer Ibaaku on the highly charged “Electric Lady”, who provided some distinctive musical hues. A track drenched in afro-futurist colours, sonic samples and collages freely mix with electric and raw sounds, supporting the energetic playing of the flute. The structure of the song remains true to Esinam’s signature sounds – surprising ruptures, poetic atmospheres and constant affirmation of grooves.

Esinam, who is also a composer, plays and performs her own music with flute, percussions, vocals as well as traditional and modern instruments – all alone on stage. She is truly “a one woman band” and is a delight to watch. 

On her live set, she juggles traditional instruments such as the “tama”, “dondo”, “kalimba” and “pandeiro”, which she loops and blends with the sound of her flute and voice. It sometimes triggers dancing, sometimes contemplation from members of her audience.

As a flutist, she plays and has played with an array of bands such as, Marockin Brass, Kel Assouf, Témé Tan and Sysmo. Belgian rapper, Baloji invited her as a guest on his latest record while Melanie De Biasio booked her as a support act for her sold-out shows at Ancienne Belgique in December 2017.

In April 2018, she performed the opening act on the large stage at Botanique (Orangerie) in Brussels, during Les Nuits for Nakhane and Témé Tan. Indeed, Alsarah & The Nubatones, Selah Sue and Moses Sumney are also impressed with her unique musical universe and invited her to start as their support act for their sold-out concerts.

By John Owoo

(In Accra – Ghana)

An exhibition of artworks by New York City based mixed media painter Jackson Shuri that are inspired by diverse issues will on Friday February 15 open at the Creative Campus of the National Institute for African Studies in London, United Kingdom.

Also a curator and cultural educator, Shuri’s work comprise figurative and abstract forms that employ a wide range of colours to define planes beneath rugged outlines of geometric figures, symbols and shapes.

With stylized human figures, web-like shapes, Shuri comments on various subjects including politics, pop culture, reproductive rights, womanhood, diseases, love and female genital mutilation through vibrant patterning and interwoven cool / warm colours.

Shuri, who exhibited her works in the Senegalese capital Dakar, during Dak Art 2018, continually explores ideas and materials through educational and aesthetic practices that involve an intelligent use of the visual and performing arts.

Employing delicate lines and figures in semi defined abstract spaces; the Afro haired artist varies her hues while working with distinct outlines. With calm brush strokes, she conveys her narratives to the viewer through an effervescent painterly experience.

With culture, gender, West African textiles / symbols inspiring and stimulating her creative process, she super imposes past and present heritage while making a subtle use of calligraphy. Indeed, an echo of absence and presence resonate through her work thereby revealing infinite stories from her repertoire.

Educated at Farmingdale State University and Long Island University (both in the USA), she has been practicing between New York and Miami. She has exhibited widely in various parts of the United States including Florida, New York, San Francisco, New Jersey and others.  

The exhibition ends on Friday March 15, 2019.

By John Owoo

(In Accra – Ghana)

A reflective exhibition of works characterized by repetitive patterns by Ghanaian modernist painter Prof. Ablade Glover that span a period of three decades, is currently on display at Gallery 1957 in Accra.

The exhibition, which marks his 85^th birthday, is the most comprehensive presentation of Glover’s career to date – showcasing over 50 prolific pieces from the 1970s – that range from his best known pieces, rarely seen paintings to a new body of work.

Despite the absence of some his earlier works owing to the inability of collectors to release them, the exhibition provides a rather realistic and factual spectrum of his paintings, which are noted for their accumulation of weight through a symphony of repetitions.

Employing his skills as an artist and intelligence as a scholar, Glover developed his style and approach over time, which he used in addressing shifting concerns and new audiences including education and nation building, which constantly reflect in his work.

A respected academic, philosopher and nationalist, his works are characterized by an application of thick paint, huge crowds and movement that tend to reflect the heat of the African sun while throbbing with a true sense of colour, texture and vibrancy.

Indeed, he converts the instinctive vitality and organized chaos of African markets into abstract fields of color alongside fleeting details of people, products and human activity while effectively reducing them to flashes of red, yellow and black.

A former Dean of the then College of Art, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (Kumasi), his works fall into a number of categories including profiles, people, markets, social commentaries, “townscapes”, “forestscapes”, “beachscapes”, “prayerscapes”, “slumscapes”, trotro stations and all manner of celebrations.

Currently the director of Artists Alliance Gallery in Accra, he has exhibited extensively in West Africa, Europe, Japan and the United States. A recipient of the distinguished AFGRAD Alumni Award by the African-American Institute in New York (USA), he is also a Life Fellow of the Royal Society of Art in London (UK).

His work can be found in both public and private collections worldwide. These include the Imperial Palace Collection (Japan), UNESCO Headquarters (France) and Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (United States) amongst others.

Others are African American Institute Head Office (USA), Africa Centre, Barclays Bank, Visiting Arts (United Kingdom), Ohio State University International House (USA), Anglogold Ashanti, Ghana Museums & Monuments Board and Standard Chartered Bank (Ghana).

The rest are National Gallery of Modern Art (Nigeria), National Gallery of Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe), UNESCO Headquarters (France), Guy Pas Collection (Switzerland), Commonwealth Foundation (United Kingdom), Royal Collection of Prince and Princess Takamado (Japan) among others.

Artists Alliance Gallery has been instrumental in bringing to worldwide attention traditional and contemporary African Art. Its mission is to provide a source for rich and authentic contemporary and traditional African art for the art connoisseurs and art services of superior value.

The exhibition ends on Wednesday February 27, 2019.

By John Owoo

(In Accra – Ghana)

Young German musicians from Music Without Borders alongside French flutist Céline Duchon and cellist Theo Bross on Tuesday charmed an over capacity audience with improvised classical tunes as part of the 56^th anniversary of the Elysée Treaty.  

Performing at the Alliance Française in Accra, the group impressed the audience with high energy and enthusiasm during the concert, which was persuasively beautiful, elegant, playful, dramatic and downright powerful.

Jointly and severally, they delighted the crowd with emotionally rich sounds from German and French composers, including Johann Sebastien Bach (Prelude from G major Suite), Claude Debussy (Syrinx), Georges Bizet (Prelude from Carmen), Jean-Marie Leclair (Trio Sonata in D major) and Robert Schumman (Träumerei).

Alongside a wide spectrum of orchestral colour and power, the musicians equally mesmerized the crowd with renditions from Joseph Hyden (London Trio in C major), Leoplod Mozart (Bouree), Johann Sebastien Bach (Rondeau and Badinerie from the orchestral suite in B minor), Astor Piazzolla (Libertango) and Christopher Tin (Baba Yetu).

With Juliette Esposito / Amelia Cerdan Prados (flutes), Johanna von Hirschfeld (oboe), Friederike Lehnert (clarinet), Katja Schröder (trumpet), Bengt Bergh (bassoon), Ricarda Kreutz (violin) and Mila Graf (cello), the musicians reminded the audience of the benefits of the treaty with this fruitful German / French music collaboration.

Earlier, H/E Christoph Reztlaff, German Ambassador in Accra and his French counterpart H/E Anne Sophie Avé shared the benefits of the friendship which has transcended economic, diplomacy and cultural to other activities for over five decades while hoping for the best in the future.

France and the Federal Republic of Germany signed the Elysée Treaty on 22nd January 1963. Following several decades of rivalries and conflicts, Germany and France sent a message of reconciliation and laid the groundwork for close bilateral cooperation to support European integration.

It is the result of two men – former West German Federal Chancellor Konrad Adenauer and French President Charles de Gualle – who opposed the Nazi regime and offered friendship to enemies of the past. With this treaty, they decided to establish a new relationship to seal a lasting friendship.

German Embassy, French Embassy, Institut Français Alliance Française and the Goethe-Institut supported the concert.

By John Owoo

(In Accra – Ghana)

African Footprint International, a group based in Cape Coast (Ghana) and Aarhus (Denmark), has over the past twenty years managed to bridge gaps between diverse cultures through its stimulating music and vitalizing dance pieces.

Consequently, the group will kick off several activities that will mark its 20th anniversary with performances in several locations in Ghana, Denmark, Finland and other parts of Europe. 

Performances are scheduled to begin in Cape Coast from the end of February 2019 and will continue in Sekondi, Takoradi, Accra, Kumasi and other towns in Ghana while hosting workshops and seminars for young musicians and dancers.

In Denmark, performances and workshops will take place in the capital Copenhagen, the second city Aarhus, Langå, Skandeborg, Horne, Kleitrup, Vejle and others towns, where it will showcase its brand of music, which is characterized by a dramatic fusion of highlife, jazz, rock and African traditional rhythms.

Led by Samuel Kweku Addison, the group has swayed audiences with compelling performances in Ghana, Denmark, Finland, Holland, United Kingdom, Hungary, France, Italy, Belgium, Germany, United States and other parts of Africa.

The group has held workshops in several colleges and schools in Denmark – these include Royal Music Academy (Aarhus), Kleitrup Efterskole (Kleitrup), Station K. (Langå), Den Rytmiske Højeskole, (Vig) Shanghai Akademi (Syddjurs), Syddjurs Musikskole (Syddjurs) and Brandbjerg Højskole (Jelling) among others.

African Footprint International has four albums to its credit. These are “Akuaba”, “Journey”, “Crossover” and “Footprint Live” as well as a couple of DVDs that showcase memorable collaborations with groups and institutions in Denmark and elsewhere.

Royal Academy of Music, Vestergaardensskolen, Aarhus Friskole, Kleitrup Musikefterskole, Den Rytmiske Højeskole, Shanghai Akademi, Nabohuset, Harald Langaasdalen, Keld Hodsbond, Allan Agerbo and others institutions have supported the group in their endeavors in Denmark. 

Photos: Inge Lynggaard Hansen

By John Owoo

(Back from Rabat – Morocco)

Visa for Music 2018 turned out to be a spectacular gathering of artists, arts professionals, academics and journalists from various parts of the world who experienced high quality performances as well as intellectually charged discussions.

In spite of budget challenges, the festival accommodated over 1,500 artists and arts professionals, who witnessed over forty performances alongside Moroccans and other visitors to the Kingdom.

Held in the Moroccan capital Rabat, Visa For Music was characterized by a rater high number of female musicians, who performed with raw passion while charming diverse audiences with penetrating voices, smart / vivacious dances, colorful costumes and magnetic stage crafts.

“Visa for Music director, Brahim El Mazned is a charismatic innovator – he has managed to put together over the past few years artists from areas of the world who will normally never meet or have a slight chance of meeting for artistic and professional exchanges”, said Ali Sawadogo, a writer from Burkina Faso.

Despite problems with timing, the King Mohammed V Theatre, Palais Tazi, Salle Bahnini, Salle Renaissance, Amnesia, Institut Cervantes, Institut Français, Villla des Arts, Hiba Laband Studio Jacques Tati among others witnessed unbridled intellectual discourse and creativity that resulted in intricately woven performances and sharing of ideas.  

MASA Festival director Prof. Yacouba Konaté, El Genaina Arts and Culture director May Mostafa, Algerian cultural expert Rachid Briki, Ebène Scene director Tony Mefe, musicologist Dr. Sipho Sithole and Jazzblanca Festival director Moulay Ahmed Alami among several others moderated and participated on several issues relating to the arts.

Topics discussed during seminars, workshops and round table discussions include “Women Artists in Africa and the Middle East”, “Female Managerial and Artistic Skills”, “Arts and Culture as Vehicles for Social Peace” and “What’s the Place for Southern Artistic Players” among others.

These symposia assessed qualitatively and quantitatively the cognitive, emotional, social and other instrumental outcomes of arts projects and programmes meant to enhance the sector as they seek to empower women.

The festival, which is in its fifth year, is set to continue its aim of bringing African and Middle Eastern countries for dialogue and artistic collaboration – a move that will result in creativity that can pass as jewels on stage.

Visa for Music 2018 was held under the auspices of the Moroccan monarch, His Excellency, King Mohammed VI with support from Atlas Azawan, Hiba Foundation and many others.

Photos: Soufiane Mabrouk, Mendi Ayoubi, Zyneb Ouazzani, Yasmine EL

By John Owoo

(In Accra – Ghana)

A photo exhibition of kids that followed workshops in Düsseldorf (Germany) and Accra (Ghana) that showcase similarities in creativity by kids in both cities is closing at the James Town Café in Accra.  

The workshops, which were moderated by photographers Teresa Meka (Ghana) and Katharina Ley (Germany), was a transcultural exchange that applied the same concepts in both cities while enabling participants to learn from each others daily lives.

The project encompassed the use of paper bags as masks that take on diverse functions through the creativity of the kids while learning basic photography techniques, which they applied in a rather dramatic manner.  

The masks were installed in a way that allowed a visual barrier thereby enabling the onlooker or subject to be photographed while creating and developing another perspective – indeed a more distanced approach to day-to-day activities that regularly engage these kids and others. 

These rather inviting photos tend to navigate the ties that bind kids all over the world – undeniably some of the works bear striking similarities although created thousands of kilometers apart.

Indeed, the images cross-examine the dynamics, thought patterns, triumphs and challenges that occur across cultural, social, economic and political differences while showing apparent similarities.

The children were handed one-way analogue (27 exposure) cameras. Being products of the digital age, this presented a slight challenge to them. Having unlimited options of taking millions of photos with their cellphones, the 27 exposures had to be used diligently.

Kabawil e.V (Germany) organized the project in collaboration with Haduwa Arts and Cultural project (Ghana) with Petron Kron as Artistic Director and Yibor Kojo Yibor as Project Manager.

By John Owoo

(In Accra – Ghana)

The issue of sexual abuse recently took centre stage in Accra with an exhibition of artworks by painter / cartoonist Dela Anyah that vividly portrayed the horrors and challenges that bedevil victims.  

Works by Anyah, which were showcased at the Antique Lemonade Gallery in Accra, dilated on examples of sexual assaults by “predators”, who appear unfazed due to light punishments as well as the lack of boldness to report such cases to the police.  

Employing jute sacs on which he paints gloomy caricatures, Anyah incorporates plastic sheets, papers and cuttings from past editions of newspapers that have reported incidents of abuse, which relate to sexual manipulation, harassment and rape.  

His human figures are characterized by exaggerated eyes with the word “Abuse “ boldly written on each piece as he transmits messages on sexual abuse alongside a dramatic combination of earth colours and shades of shades of reds, yellows and blues.  

Using acrylics and other pigments, Anyah includes a suite of stylized and lightly saturated colour abstractions that suggest pain, anguish and despair. Indeed, the colours are kept in check by patches of white, which inundate backgrounds or tend to form part of his figures.

The Ghanaian Labour Act defines sexual harassment “as any unwelcome, offensive or importunate sexual advances or request made by an employer or superior officer or a co-worker, whether the worker is a man or woman”.

Undeniably there have been reports of such incidents in schools, offices, factories etc with suspects merely transferred or made to face some sort of disciplinary action instead of inviting the police for investigations and possible prosecution.  

The exhibition, which is a timely reminder of the canker, ended on Saturday December 29, 2018.

Photos: Jesse Ababio – Snapshot Gh Studios

By John Owoo
(In Accra – Ghana)

A continuous flow of energy characterized a magnetic concert by singer / songwriter Wiyaala during a memorable performance at the Alliance Française in Accra.

Fueled by a fresh stream of creativity, the Afro Pop diva dug deep into her repertoire and showered the boisterous audience with a two-hour show that kept most of them at the edge of their seats.

With an alluring stagecraft that witnessed an unquenchable energy and dancing skills, Wiyaala performed with a blunt, raw and engaging reliability that left the crowd admiring the dramatic enhancement of her talent.

“This is one of the best performances I have seen this year – Wiyaala is surely going make a mark in wide-reaching circles – I was not bored for a single moment. Indeed, she has a unique way of capturing ones attention and sustaining it”, said Kofi Adu, an Accra based architect.

“The dancers are truly professional – the movements were highly suggestive and they performed with a raw and an appealing honesty that resulted in an effective blending with the music and musicians”, added Justine Oduro, a teacher from Takoradi.

With contemporary dancers Sena Atsugah / Marcus Tay alongside Faustina Amankwah, Francisca Mordedzi, Evelyn Kudo and Angela Mensah from the National Dance Company, the singer swayed the crowd with colorful and descriptive rhymes through a rapid-fire delivery that drew comparisons to internationally acclaimed female musicians.

Choreographed by Stephany Ursula Yamoah, the dancers moved in unison through a subtle combination of swift and restrained movements that intermingled with the instrumentalists thereby creating a situation of perpetual motion on stage.

Together with the Patch Bay band, Wiyaala equally featured veteran saxophonist / percussionist Teddy Osei of Osibisa fame, singer / songwriter Nana Yaa, poet Pobee and others, who equally left a mark in the eyes of the crowd.

Photos: Delphy Photography