friends of the national museum accra

ArchiAfrika Accra/Adventurers in Diaspora

and

Holcim Awards for Sustainable Construction

present

Global Holcim Awards Gold winner 2012
at the BRANCHE LOUNGE, GOLDEN TULIP HOTEL ACCRA
Friday, December 21st 2012 at 7:30 pm

Diébédo Francis Kéré received the Global Holcim Awards Gold 2012 from more than 6000 competition entries from all over the world for his secondary school in the village of Gando in Burkina Faso. The project was praised for its approach to using traditional building materials and technologies that also place great emphasis on actively involving the local population in the construction process. Come out to hear Diébédo Francis Kéré lecture about this project and his other works, which adapt a sustainable and contextual approach to design and construction.

Tune in to our livestream!
http://www.ustream.tv/user/adventuresdiaspora

Log on to our Facebook page to post questions for Francis Kéré during the event!
http://www.facebook.com/AdventurersInTheDiaspora

Oct 29

Friends of the Museum (FoM) and AiD support the National Science Museum

Friends of the National Museum and AiD held a fundraising concert at the amphitheater of the National Science Museum on Friday the 26^th of October 2012. The aim of the fundraiser was to provide AV equipment for to enable films to be screened for children at the Science Museum. Seasoned veteran folkloric musicians such as Ebo Taylor, Pat Thomas, and Ben Brako were at hand to entertain the audience they were backed by Kwame Yeboah’s band. Kwame Yeboah and Irene Logan went through renditions of classic folkloric tunes with the use of traditional instruments such as the flute by Sammy Nukpese and as well as slam poetry recitals. So electrifying were the performances that the patrons could not help dancing all evening.

Oct 24

Fundraising Concert Celebrating Folkloric Music

Dear Friends,

THE ADVENTURERS IN THE DIASPORA (AiD) and Friends of the Museuminvite you to the seventh installment in its discussion series where we will discuss and enjoy folkloric music! This event will be a fundraiser for the Museum of Science and Technology and the National Museum… so come and support a great cause! We are having a very active October with this being our third event but we hope to see you there! Please note that this event will take place at the Museum of Science and not our usual venue (Golden Tulip).

at the Museum of Science and Technology Amphitheatre

Barnes Road, Ridge - Accra

Friday, October 26th 2012 at 6:00 pm

Music plays an enormous part of Ghana’s heritage and cultural identity. Our Folkloric musical tradition precedes popular Ghanaian music such as highlife, which has incorporated aspects of this unique style. It is an essential and beloved part of Ghana’s musical history and influence. However, with the ascent of foreign musical aesthetic and now contemporary Hip-life music here in Ghana, this genre has increasingly become less popular. REVIVING GHANA’S FOLKLORIC MUSICAL TRADITION is an initiative as part of AiD’s ‘NKOMO’ SERIES.

We have assembled a ‘Super Group’ of musicians and intellectuals who will both perform and discuss this heritage. The idea for this event was inspired by ADOM FM radio station, which promotes this once mainstream genre of music. We want to celebrate all individuals and organisations who are dedicated to keeping our traditions alive and reinterpreted for contemporary use and part of our national development agenda.

This month’s event is also a fundraiser for both the NATIONAL MUSEUM OF ART, and NATIONAL SCIENCE MUSEUM. Proceeds from this event will be used to buy AV equipment, which will be used to screen science related films at the Science Museum and also our continued support of the National Museum of Art. Updates of work done by Friends of the museum are as follows;

1. AIRTEL free Wi-Fi, up and running.
2. Exterior painting of National Museum by Coral paints completed.
3. New grassing of National Museum by Ghana Commercial Bank and Chase Petroleum completed.
4. Maintenance of grass, through provision of water tanks by POLYTANK currently underway.
5. Completion of landscape sprinkler system will be funded by current fundraiser.

Special Guest Musicians: Ebo Taylor (guitar), Kwame Yeboah, Pat Thomas, Ben Brako, Irene Logan, Tetteh Pappoe (trumpet), George Amissah (alto sax), Joe (drums), Edmund Mensah (trumpet), Bessa Simon(keyboards), Shebo (bass).

Oct 23

Revitalizing the National Musuem

As an update on initiatives undertaken by Friends of the National Museum and Adventurers in the Diaspora to revitalize the National Museum, we are pleased to report that extensive work has been done to bring the museum up to an aesthetically acceptable standard.

Under the sponsorship of Ghana Commercial Bank, the lawn of the National Museum were grassed and pipes were laid for a sprinkler system. Other projects undertaken in 2012 include the provision of free wireless service for the public by Airtel Ghana Limited, painting of the the museum building through sponsorship of Coral Paints and donation of water storage tanks for irrigation by PolyTank Ghana Limited.

Jun 26

AiD on June 27th: FILM AND CULTURE

THE ADVENTURERS IN THE DIASPORA (AiD) and Golden Tulip Hotel Accra invite you to our fifth event in our series this year and the topic is “Film and Culture”. This month, we are at the Golden Tulip Hotel Branch Lounge on Wednesday June 27, 2012 at 7:30pm.

What do our films tell us about our culture? How can we harness the power of film to reconnect to a sense of culture, identity and self? How do great films successfully capture truths about our culture; can films push us towards higher and even more powerful ideals? Film and theatre may be an extension of the oral tradition and is a way we can communicate our history to the world. A distinguished panel will discuss the genre of contemporary African film and highlight some of our successes: Sinking Sands, Grass Between My Lips, I sing of a well, Love Brewed In An African Pot, Heritage Africa.

May 09

Review ghanaweb: Where The Bead Speaks

The April edition of the Adventurers in the Diaspora (AiD) series was simply a refreshing showcase of a lifestyle around one of Ghana’s must beautiful and traditional ornaments - beads. The third event in the discussion series this year took place at the Golden Tulip Hotel Branche Lounge under the theme, ‘Where the Bead Speaks’.

Beads are a fascinating and important part of Ghanaian culture and heritage; they are an expression of the creativity and aesthetic of our people. In line AiD’s theme for the year which creates a platform for the revival of national heritage at the National Museum, the session was co-organized by the Foundation for Contemporary Art and UNESCO who are working to document the Ghana’s bead making industry.

Apr 23

AiD on April 26th: “Where The Bead Speaks”

Dear Friends,

THE ADVENTURERS IN THE DIASPORA (AiD) invites you to our third event in the discussion series this year entitled ‘WHERE THE BEAD SPEAKS’. Please join us online through the live stream or in the live audience at the Golden Tulip Hotel Branche Lounge on Thursday April 26, 2012 at 7:30pm.

Beads are a fascinating and important part of our culture and heritage; they are an expression of the creativity and aesthetic of our people. In line with the theme for the year which creates a platform for the revival of national heritage at the National Museum, this AiD is co-organized by theFoundation for Contemporary Art and UNESCO who are working to document the Ghana’s bead making industry.

Discover a fascinating history of the beads in Ghana and the role of beads in our society. We will launch a full color 106 page book named ‘GHANA: WHERE THE BEAD SPEAKS’ which combines poetic reflections on the bead in our society by the most famous African woman writer, Ama Ata Aidoo and an essay by professor of African Studies at University of Ghana, Esi Sutherland-Addy. The book design was coordinated by bead expert Kati Torda.

Click the link for the live stream if you can’t make it http://www.ustream.tv/channel/adventures-in-the-diaspora

Mar 26

AiD on March 29th: WHY HERITAGE MATTERS

THE ADVENTURERS OF THE THE DIASPORA (AiD) invites you to our second event in our discussion series this year on ‘WHY HERITAGE MATTERS’ and to the launch the FRIENDS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. Please join us online through the livestream or in the live audience at the National Museum on Barnes Road, Accra on Thursday March 29, 2012 at 7:30pm.

AiD has engaged with the Museum Administration and its Board of Directors to create a nonprofit organization called ‘Friends of the National Museum’ to support the work of the Museum and provide a platform for the museum to engage with the artistic community, benefactors and the general public in a positive, economically viable and purposeful way. The museum Chairman Hon. Fritz Baffour and his management team will host us for a night of discussion, music and discourse on Why Heritage Matters. We would also like to introduce key sponsors Airtel Ghana. There will be a presentation by the museum directors on six themes:

Mar 01

AiD on March 8th 2012

THE ADVENTURERS OF THE THE DIASPORA (AiD) would be honored to have you as a participant in our 2012 Salon, A discussion Series dedicated to the role of Creativity in Our national development Agenda. This Salon was initiated in 2011 by Golden Tulip West Africa and myself, with great support from others, and became another ‘voice’ in the discourse on Creativity and Culture.

For this month’s AiD Series, we partner with MultiTV to present our series to a live television audience. You are welcome to join us at home, online or in the live audience at Golden Tulip Hotel on Thursday March 8, 2012 at 7:30pm. You can watch the live stream on MultiTV at http://multitvworld.com/streams/

Feb 27

AFRIKADAA Le Magazine

Visit the Afrikadaa website and take a look at “AFRIKADAA - Le Magazine” which is published by Carole Diop and Pasacale Obolo. The francophone magazine focuses on the under-explored African Design and Art Scene. You can page through the categories Art Talk, Architecture and Design as well as Exhibition Reviews and Interviews. Especially the first issue is a MUST for followers of the ghanaian art and culture scene as….