In the past, poetry has been known by many to be an art form of words, and although as far back as the 1600s, poets were often referred to as masters of the art of persuasion, who could make a beast abandon the forest and come back to civilization to live under law, this dynamic way in which poetry imparts into the lives of people has seldom been reflected in its mode of presentation to the public or an audience. What instantly comes to mind at the mention of a poetry presentation is a platform where words that are ingeniously carved are touted vocally by aide of a microphone, even in certain cases where it did not turn out so, then the role of poetry in such a presentation was left to pass unnoticed and nobody says anything about it. Even to this day in the 21st century we still see a more revolutionary styled approach to the same vocalization of words on stage as the most popular way in which one may likely encounter the art form of poetry.
The mission of AFRICAN IMAGE – BAASA KRO is to reverse the entire motion. In this art exhibition of poetry by poet DK Osei-Yaw, the familiar way of vocalizing written words on stage shall rather be relegated to the background of the presentation, and instead, the dynamic ways in which poetry imparts into the lives of people shall be brought to life to the audience through an art installation that has 3 major elements. In other words, in this presentation, instead of hearing the voice of a poet standing on the stage, you would see art installations lending their voice to the words of the poet, being spoken in the four corners of an exhibition space instead of a raise platform of the podium.
The artistic significance of AFRICAN IMAGE – BAASA KRO:
In the last 7 years of his career as a poet, many of DK Osei-Yaw’s admirers both in Ghana and around the world would testify to the critical role this God-gifted poet has played in popularizing Slam poetry in Ghana and in inspiring many people to the love of the power of words as a way of life. DK’s earnest creative efforts has contributed mainly in putting many young people of his generation on the stage today, which has become a tool for their self-expression and hence a poetic identity that is catching up like wild fire in Ghana and the world over. More importantly, if you asked anybody who has experienced DK, was the way in which art was more of a way of life to him than just a vocation or occupation. This truth and openness to art helped DK to grow into his calling whilst embarking on many important creative interactions, with a variety of art forms and artists that would begin to thrive a form of collision of the arts in Ghana like never before. This is the significance of AFRICAN IMAGE BAASA KRO that this exhibition of poetry that has the backing of the giants and key stakeholders of the art scene in Ghana would go into the annals as the hallmark of this collision of the art forms in Ghana. This highly anticipated project is sure to take artistic expression to another level for Ghanaian artists because DK has made it possible. The role of art in Ghana would take a drastic turn-around since the ability of the individual artists to interpret their art forms to each other and vice-versa would have the power to enrich their role in society, opening many doors of opportunities to bring about enlightenment.
May 30 is the day of the exhibition, which in order to take art to the community, would be taking place outside of the usual location from where is normally known to host exhibitions in Accra – an art house called AFROCENTRIC, situated behind the Accra Academy Senior High School in Bubuashie near the vicinity of North Kaneshie.
This event is mainly sponsored by the German Goethe Institute, and supported by the Alliance Francaise, Afrocentric, Cuppa Cappuccino, FCA, Weekend Globe, Fashionista GH, TRACE, Ameyaw Debrah .com, Generation Identity, Writer Project of Ghana, POETS.
