Zakaria Abdul Hakim Cisse || Sanatu Zambang
The recent opening of the much anticipated Akutia Art Exhibition saw people of diverse fields attend. Amidst the global Coronavirus pandemic, the attendance was amazing. From fine artistes to fashion designers. From art lovers to photographers. From traditional leaders to tourists and students alike, almost everyone was at the opening.
As the excitement continued, some of the audience shared their experience with Sanatu Zambang. Notable among those who spoke with us were Theresa Ankomah, a fashion designer based in Accra and Hikima Mahamuda; also a designer, based in Tamale.
Speaking on the Art Exhibition, Ms. Mahamuda said it was necessary to attend the event since fine art and clothing & textiles go together. She said she was amazed by how people have embraced the event and how its organizers have been able to put up such an amazing craft.
Hikima said that henceforth, her works as influenced by the Akutia Art Exhibition will change completely. She said the various elements that were implored in the works has thought her how differently she can work.
Theresa Ankomah who was also present said she came to Tamale purposely for the Exhibition, even though she had been to Tamale twice or thrice.
She said Ibrahim’s efforts give her hope for being able to open up such a big space for art. Theresa also expressed her happiness about the fact that despite the many people who took part to make the exhibition successful, Ibrahim was been able to recognize the efforts of everyone, no matter how meager their contribution.
One of the works in the exhibition that actually caught the eyes of Theresa is the one that has been featured in the event flier ( Akokɔ baa tan nan tia ba, enkum ba). She highlighted how profound it is for Dr. Ossei Agyemang to implicitly capture the nurturing ability of the mother and how caring they are to their children in a vivid piece of painting. As a woman, this work gave her a second thought of how wonderful women are.
For these people and many others, this exhibition has opened the eyes of many Ghanaians and will go a long way to totally affect the art scope in Tamale and entire Ghana.
