Tamale and Accra artistes collaborate to retell the Northern narrative

Zakaria Abdul Hakim Cisse || Sanatu Zambang SDGs Live Report

From Friday, February 7 to Sunday, February 9, artists from Tamale and Accra met for an intensive workshop to work together towards an art festival scheduled for April 2020.

The three-day workshop gave space and time for artists from the two regions to meet, know each other and collaborate to produce unique art forms geared towards the festival. Each group constituted different talents, ranging from musicians, photographers, poets, visual artists, videographers, among others.

The said festival would be one of its kind in the country as it seeks to transform the cliché on perceptions about Tamale.

It seeks to highlight the positive side of Northern Ghana in the aspects of arts & culture; child empowerment; green Tamale, etc. to bridge the gap between the north and the south.

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On Friday 31st January 2020, this group of artists came together to remind ourselves why they decided to make art part of their professional lives. The memories they created, will perhaps live with us for a lifetime. As they are preparing and looking forward to the influence @sccatamale will have on them as future contemporary artists. Thank you #sanatuzambang for hosting us. #sccachallenge #sccatamale challenge

A post shared by Sanatu Zambang Studios (@sanatuzambang) on Feb 2, 2020 at 1:44am PST

The project is part of YEFL-GHANA Ghana VENSKAB (Ghana friends) Empowerment for Life (E4L) program.

“The creative workshop aims at conceptualizing a multidisciplinary event that will totally change the narrative about Tamale” Essenam; facilitator of the workshop and founder of ‘this no be art’ added.

Mr. Alhassan Ganiyu of YEFL-GHANA also emphasized on why the project is necessary. He encouraged the artists to come out with art forms that will leave an everlasting print in the minds of people and pull them to come to the north and explore its greatness.