El Anatsui - wall art

El Anatsui. He is a Ghanian sculptor and professor who works with recycled materials. His pieces are gigantic textile-like sculptures made of found objects wired-together. Metal strips from the necks and tops of liquor bottles that were to be recycled, it is huge, richly textured, and sensuous - all belying the fact that it is made of rigid, unwanted materials. Yet another example of how anything looks good in great numbers. The rich metallic color brings to mind Ghana's famous goldsmith traditions, and its composition of strips gives a nod to the strip-woven cloth of Ghana, called 'kente'.

bought from the indians in suriname

Inauguration in kente

Africa has good reason to be proud of what has happened in Ghana. We in Ghana have good cause to be proud. Today, let us smile and take that smile with us into tomorrow, as the hard work starts. Thank you for your confidence."  With those words on January 7th, 2001, President John Agyekum Kufuor, took up the reins of power.The inauguration took place on the forecourt at Parliament House in Accra. Resplendent in hand-woven Kente cloth, Kufuor and his vice president, Alhaji Aliu Mahama, swore allegiance to the nation and to God and Allah respectively. Afterwards, the outgoing president, J.J.Rawlings, who had ruled Ghana for 19 years, embraced his successor on the dais. Celebrations then moved to the nearby Independence Square, where Kufuor addressed the nation.

Kente cloth: colours

Kente cloth, known locally as nwentoma, is a type of silk and cotton[citation needed] fabric made of interwoven cloth strips and is native to the Akan people of Ghana and the Ivory Coast.

Meanings of the colors in Kente cloth:

• black—maturation, intensified spiritual energy
• blue—peacefulness, harmony and love
• green—vegetation, planting, harvesting, growth, spiritual renewal
• gold—royalty, wealth, high status, glory, spiritual purity
• grey—healing and cleansing rituals; associated with ash
• maroon—the color of mother earth; associated with healing
• pink—assoc. with the female essence of life; a mild, gentle aspect of red
• purple—assoc. with feminine aspects of life; usually worn by women
• red—political and spiritual moods; bloodshed; sacrificial rites and death.
• silver—serenity, purity, joy; assoc. with the moon
• white—purification, sanctification rites and festive occasions
• yellow—preciousness, royalty, wealth, fertility