I’ve long been interested in African culture, particularly the art scene. My free time in Accra was limited, as the main purpose of my visit was to meet family. Nonetheless, I managed to get a great taste of Ghanaian art. Here are three great spots to check out if you’re in town.
Artists Alliance Gallery
Artists Alliance is an absolute dream – a huge open air gallery and museum housing modern art and cultural relics. If I had to pick one place to visit, this would be it – it’s possible to spend a whole day here. My understanding is that these pieces belong to a private collection that has been opened for public interest. The three floors are packed to the brim, on some levels there are stacks of unframed canvases to flip through.
You’ll find paintings, sculptures, kente cloths, bronze figurines, wood carvings, drums, Asante stools, thrones and more. The staff are extremely knowledgable about the pieces, their significance and origin.
Artists Alliance Gallery had no official website at the time of this publication, but you can find more information on TripAdvisor.
Dikan Center & Gallery
Just a 25 minute walk from Artists Alliance Gallery is the Dikan Center, both in the Labadi district of Accra.
In 2021 I read the story of Paul Ninson on Brandon Stanton’s Humans of New York (“HONY”) Instagram page. I won’t attempt to recount it here, I won’t do it justice – but I’ll provide the link below. The posts concluded with Paul’s desire to set up a photography center and the largest photo library in Africa. HONY readers came through with support and financial contributions, and the Dikan Center came to be. Naturally, I had to check it out for myself.
The Dikan Center is a small campus, with several buildings and outdoor areas. During my visit, I was only able to visit the main gallery and the outdoor exhibits. When I visited, the featured exhibit was “Obama: An Intimate Portrait”, a collection of images from Barack Obama’s presidency. Outdoors there was an exhibition called “Moments in Time: Stories of the Unseen” showcasing stories of the lives, struggles, joys and aspirations of people, communities, and overlooked issues” in Ghana, featuring the work of students who (I presume) attend the Dikan Center.
To read more about Paul Ninson’s story, you’ll want to start with this post on Humans of New York, and then scroll back in the archives to September 1, 2021 for the complete 12-part story.
For more information on the Dikan Gallery, please visit their official website: https://www.dikancenter.org/gallery.
Street art in osu
Unfortunately I only got to experience Osu briefly as I drove past in an Uber: time was short. The ride was a highlight for me because of the many beautiful murals lining 28th February Road. I didn’t have time to capture them all, so I’ll be exploring this neighbourhood on foot next time.
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