One of the things that I came to see here was the tradition (though not ancient) of creating and painting coffins that suit a person's passion or profession. Paa Joe, the artist who started this tradition decades ago when he created one for a tribal chief, has since moved his studio to a village between Accra and Kumasi. Many of his students are still here in the Teshie/Nungua area. In these shops, you can find coffins in the shape of chickens, fish, giraffes, lions, sneakers, sewing machines--you name it. One of his former students, Doctor Joe has a shop in Labadie and I commissioned a (portable) Coke bottle from him. He has many other fine examples in his shop and invites all obrunis who are interested to come and take a look!
In Accra today we experienced the market, the Nkrumah museum and masoleum and of course we have to check out Ryan's Irish Pub. We are enjoying our remaining time and look forward to the Adinkra workshop tomorrow with David.
I see you, you see me
Color, color everywhere
Kids..and Elmo
Red red soil
Catfish on the grill
Roofing tire
Throwing without a wheel
Lizards, lizards everywhere
Sacred Crocodiles at Paga
Weaver bird!
Talk Talk and Talk True
Aba
Adinkra Workshop with David
Adinkra Workshop
Chicken Fantasy Coffin
Basket of chickens...
Releasing Beads from the mold
Fortunetellers are Universal
Self Portraits at Aba House
The New Hospital in Teshie
Not a jar of Skippy
The market in Kumasi
Hand painted road sign
Adkinkra dye, complete
Musah and David pounding Badie Bark in Ntonso
Kente Weaver at Adanwomase
Clay workshop at SWOPA
SWOPA
We've only seen these at the zoo!
Stolen Banana
Driving with Musah
A wee way through the treetops
Roadside Commerce
Door of Return
Door of no Return
Where we have spent a lot of time
1 comment:
I read your interesting story about your trip to Ghana and I would like to correct a detail : the actual "inventor" of design coffins was not Pae Joe but a certain Seth KANE KWEI. All design coffin makers in the region were at first apprentices of Kane KWei. Up till today, the Kane Kwei Carpentry Workshop is still producing design coffins. The one in charge is Eric Adjetey Anang, who is the grand son of Kane KWei. He was in Europe last summer, invited in Belgium for Boulevard Amandla Projet [ http://www.nieuwsblad.be/article/detail.aspx?articleid=152E34LE ] that featured several of his coffins, in Spain by Cocal Cola for which he made a commercial clip with the coffins : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dS-tb6AE4a4 , in Italy to work with an anthropologist and in France to meet press people.
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