Exhibition on Du Bois moves to Nubuke
All is not lost if you missed the exhibition titled ‘Du Bois In Our Time’ which was held from March 5 to April 13 at the W.E.B. Du Bois Centre for Pan-African Culture at Cantonments in Accra.
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The exhibition has now moved to Nubuke Foundation at East Legon, Accra, where it will show till May 31. What art patrons may probably have missed is experiencing the power of the works whilst they were installed in the house that W.E.B. Du Bois resided in till he died in 1963.
Some of the works were installed around his graveside at the Du Bois Centre; in his personal library where his books and writing desk are still kept and in his bedroom full of memorabilia and his personal items.
The exhibition of multi-media works were created by Bernard Akoi-Jackson, Adwoa Amoah, Ato Annan, Yaganoma Baatuolkuu, Serge Clottey, Mary Evans, Kelvin Haizel, Kwasi Ohene-Ayeh and Mawuli Tofah.
Their works, which were installed in the rooms and corridors of the Du Bois museum and mausoleum, evoked a myriad of feelings: sadness, expectation, energy, hope, excitement and nostalgia as they tried to capture some distinctive traits of the great Pan-Africanist.
Du Bois was larger than life. He challenged the authorities and law, persistently fought for the civil rights for the ordinary person. His passion led him across the Atlantic to the Gold Coast to work with Kwame Nkrumah.
He came to live in Ghana in the latter stages of his life and was said to have been a substantial influence on Nkrumah’s ideas for the liberation of Ghana and Africa.
The ‘Du Bois In Our Time’ project started at the University of Amherst, Massachusetts, USA - home to a large collection of memorabilia, archive and writings of W.E.B. Du Bois and continued to Accra, his final resting place.
During the opening of the exhibition, Prof. Biodun Jeyifo, an eminent literary critic and cultural theorist, reminded the audience that the man constantly re-invented himself so he could be relevant.
According to Prof. Jeyifo, Du Bois would have been excited to have interacted with the current generation of artists, Pan African club members, students and poets who were present at the opening of the exhibition.
Ms Odile Tevie, a Director at the Nubuke Foundation, told the Daily Graphic that the exhibition was of significant historical value to Ghana and Africa and urged everyone to make time to see it.
