"Street Art" Opens

A five day art show involving nine artists from Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria aimed at demonstrating the creation of artworks is currently underway at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle in Accra.

Heather Badger, Kofi Dawson, Massimo Wanssi, Anane Asare (Ghana), Edwige Akpogan (Benin), Kola O. Joseph (Nigeria), Samuel Olou, Camir Azankpo and Gustav Djonda (Togo) will work under makeshift studios made of tents in a bold attempt to demystify the creation of artworks.

The artists will create a total of eighteen paintings and sculpture pieces that will be auctioned at the Alliance Fran?aise in support of some charitable organisations.

Samuel Olou, the dynamic Togolese sculptor and painter who initiated the project said "L'art dans la Rue" is simply meant to take art directly to the people adding that working on the street will generate the much needed interest in the visual arts by the public at large.

He added that the coming together of nine artists from four West African countries for a common cause will also help foster collaborations between anglophone and francophone countries.

Dignitaries present at the opening of "L'art dans la rue", which forms part of activities marking the 2002 edition of Semaine de la Francophone included the French Ambassador in Ghana, Jean Michel Berrit and his colleagues, Abdou Karim Seini (Niger), Charbel Aoun (Lebanon), and Pierre Sadeler (Benin).

The opening ceremony was performed by the Chairman of the National Commission on Culture, Prof. George Hagan.