Notes from Being "Outside"

How two creative spaces in Accra filled my overflowing well, and why you shouldn't wait for permission to shine.

My creative well has been overflowing…

Generously filled to the brim with the inspiration I have gained from attending two artistic events. And so in this week’s newsletter I am sharing what I took away from being outside, with the hope that it will inspire you to fill your own creative cup in the weeks to come.

1. Draft Zero: The Audacity to Shine

First up was the writer Akotowaa Ofori’s ‘Draft Zero’ event - which was described on the flyer she circulated as a “...night of readings, poetry and musical poetry”. Draft Zero was also a celebration of The Spider Kid’s (Akotowaa’s moniker) twenty-eight birthday. I had attended Akotowaa’s previous birthday celebration which had been a fun night of karaoke with many participants being professional singers, rappers, and musicians, and so I knew Draft Zero was going to be an event that I didn’t want to miss.

On the day of the event the skies opened and it poured. Incessantly. The kind of rains that in Ghana lead to flooding because our drainage systems, if they exist at all, are overchoked gutters. The day following rains like that, the news cycle is filled with stories of fragile homes constructed of wood and iron roofing sheets floating away on a sea of debris, and the inevitable tragic loss of life. On days like that, Ghanaians who have the luxury of choice cancel appointments, and workers explain their inability to show up to work on time by saying, “Madam, it was the rain”.

And so it was one of those days that I knew would be a bad travel day, and I was right. But all the frustration I felt during my two and a half hour journey to Palm Moments, the venue for Akotowaa’s acoustic event, melted away a few minutes into the set that she had planned. Akotowaa is a multi-hyphenate creative. She writes prose, poetry, and songs. She is as talented a writer as she is a rapper, and singer. She started the night off by reading from her book, ‘The Year of Return’, a fascinating account of ghosts of formerly enslaved people emerging from the Atlantic Ocean, and returning to land. You will especially enjoy this book if like me you were low-key (or even high-key) frustrated by the fairly superficial (although incredibly well organised) marketing campaign that the Government of Ghana ran to mark the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first enslaved African in the U.S.A. And then she delved into a mix of poetry, accompanied by a guitarist. Halfway through the night I found myself thinking, “Wow. This is audacious. Imagine curating a two hour set and inviting your friends to witness your brilliance. I could never.” But why couldn’t I? And more importantly, why can’t you? If you’ve been putting in the work, writing quietly over the years, recording songs, poetry, making art - let your work shine. Show it to the world.

Ivana Akotowaa Ofori performing during Draft Zero

My Takeaway: Don’t wait for anyone to give you a stage. Work on your art, and when you are ready, create your set, and invite the people who love you to watch you shine.

2. Stomata: The Power of Thought Partners

The next life-giving event I went to was the launch of ‘Stomata: Dr Mahashe’s Open Frames’, an exhibition by the photographer Eric Gyamfi. The exhibition is on display at the Foundation for Contemporary Art, Accra which is housed in the same compound as the historic W.E. Du Bois Centre. I am clearly a Gyamfi stan because I also saw his previous exhibition at the Autograph ABP in London, and before that at The Centre for Plant Medicine in Mampong. I remember walking through the Mampong exhibition of intricately preserved and photographed plants with my then toddler on my hip. What I loved about Gyamfi’s most recent launch event was the community of artists and activists who came together to celebrate him and his work. I remember leaving the event feeling a warm inner glow although that could also be due to the yummy food served by Roots, a restaurant also on the same grounds.

My Takeaway: Gyamfi’s event reminded me about the need to be in community, to work with ‘thought partners’ as he described the curator of the event Abbey IT-A. When the artist and his curator spoke about the exhibition, I felt the warmth of their friendship, and the deep collaboration that had led to the display of the body of work that we were all there to witness.

Stomata is ongoing and the curator and artist are generously offering tours on selected days which you can sign up for by clicking here.

Over to you: When was the last time you went “outside” and came back inspired? What fills your creative cup when you feel it running dry? Let me know in the comments!