Symbols of a new nation: Ghanaian artists’ expression of cultural identity after independence

Abstract

ABSTRACT The paper discusses the way Ghanaian visual artists Atta Kwami, Kane Kwei, and Saka Acquaye, used the art to express and narrate the cultural identity during the one decade of independence of Ghana (1957). Ghana was the first sub-Saharan African country which got independence from British colonialism. Besides, the nation wanted to promote the pan-Africanist dream of a new African people. But, the country faced a colonial and traditional dilemma. The research uses the archival method and visual discourse analysis as the main methodological instrument to examine the way artists used traditional symbols from African art, like Adinkra, to modern art by mixing plural personalities. The artworks they created were empowered themselves and allowed a collective story to be told of Ghanaian culture’s recovery, self-sufficiency, and the togetherness of the country. The study shows how these artists applied art as a significant catalyst in the process of nation-building and the creation of a new culture by getting rid of the misconceptions about the negative effects of colonialism on the cultural situation. Their art forms became semiotic kits for the beginning of cultural self-organization through the coherent state of Ghana.