pcvcinghana

[pcvcinghana]

going on the trip made me further consider the aestheticization of a movement and how an event stating an ideological belief doesn't provide social impact. there's often not much thoughtful engagement with these moments, seeing places to expand and where they fail if it becomes co-opted. so how do we move forward? what's there to learn about various political movements to shape out post-colonial society? how do we keep the most marginalized engaged with the work?

[pcvcinghana]

moving through the country as a large group and a tourist, i was often aware of my positioning through this experience. one thing i really took notice of was the idea of the service worker. before this, i'd never had this treatment before, with workers there to meet your needs, especially dietary. psychedelic white is a reading on the role of a visitor, and although i saw many ghanians staying in this hotel, much of the power dynamic was still apparent. there was a certain amount of respect expected of the worker, even if much of the people were generally kind. and these workers were sometimes seen, never heard. if i went off to the bathroom with a plate nearing being finished, i'd come back to a clear area. as someone who'd never held a resort or hotel experience, this was extra foreign to me.

through this post and the last, i felt more and more aware of how capitalism runs off the back of ghanaians. the tourist industry, the markets, they're all contributing to an economy that's not serving them.

[pcvcinghana]

despite the left-leaning ideology, many ghanians are participating and functioning under the capitalist policy. many workers are a part of an informal economy, especially when entering rural areas. bartering is still prominent in their culture. walking in the market, i saw many of the pieces embedded with black stars or other things meant to represent national pride.

[pcvcinghana]

during his time, there was a also a general rise in black nationalist and panafricanist politics, with many well-known intellectuals either visiting the country or studying the leader. the images come from the W.E.B Du Bois Museum, who spent his last few years in ghana.

[pcvcinghana]

the struggle for independence began through the protest of a land bill, with the second world war bringing up forms of economic independence. independence was gained officially in 1951, in part due to the work of The Big Six, although there are many unsung heroes, especially as such efforts are communal. Nkrumah was instated as leader after some internal battle, and championed panafricanism, hoping for ghana to move forward as a nation with and for their own people. some of his works and beliefs remind me of those of Aime Cesaire on the #discourseoncolonialism. he desired national pride, but more than that was seeking a "black pride", installing the black star in the middle of the flag and the black star square pictured above. he studied about many of the people we read and viewed through the class. fresh from the post-colonial period, he also put emphasis on some of the ideas of the nation-state, similar to Fanon in #wretchedoftheearth. nkrumaism believed that European class distinctions in marxist-lenin study were not fully applicable and drew from pre-colonial African practices and more to push forward the ideology. the impact is described to be more cultural than on the country's politics.

[pcvcinghana]

ghana went through different periods of colonialism, beginning with contact made with the Portuguese. pre-colonial ghana was made of various ethnic groups, existing independently with power mostly in chiefs. the economy was mostly shaped by the 3 M's: mining, manufacturing, medicine. contact began as forms of 'trade' but shifted with the #berlinconference setting the parameters for colonialism. they were officially colonised by the british. pictured above is the Cape Coast Castle, where te bottom floor was filled with slaves stripped from their homes, on their way to enter the land of no return. above them were churches and places where masters would buy slaves.

[pcvcinghana]

one of the largest themes and points of pride throughout the nation is panafricanism. there are many symbols and statues of leaders who helped construct and lead the ideology. the most known leader, especially throughout the nation, is Kwame Nkrumah, the first president in the decolonial period. he identified with #panafricanism #socialist. his name is often brought up through schools and museums. the university of ghana was one of the first places we visited, with this building attached to him. through this time, i began to wonder what panafricanism meant to the person, besides this ideology of unity through the black diaspora

[pcvcinghana]

this spring break I was given an opportunity to go to Ghana on a scholar trip. through my time there i took many photos and many of those i post will be a reflection of what these pictures are reflective of in relation to post-colonial visual culture. the page will generally be in chronological order.