FOTO VIM: The Adabraka Sessions

THE CREW ARRIVES

Last Saturday morning, we got together and designed a fun photoshoot featuring our team in the historic Accra neighborhood of Adabraka.

TIE DYE DEVIL ROBOTS

Some of our ACCRA [dot] ALT interns + contributors were asked to describe what life is like in Accra. Here’s what they came up with.

All photos by ACCRA [dot] ALT.

ROWIE x JESSICA x AIGERIM

SELORM JAY x  STEPHEN

ROWIE [Intern] Ashesi University, left:

“My Accra is fun. It’s loud and filled with very nice food smells. I wish it was like Manhattan but I doubt! I can see a lot of glass buildings in Accra’s future.”

SELORM JAY [Assistant Producer] ACCRA [dot ] ALT |  [C.E.O.] Fullish Art:

“Accra is a complex city. Accra is a weakness and at the same time, it’s a strength. It is your disappointment and at the same time, your hope. It’s complex at this moment because you complain about so many things. But you also see the beauty that lies within and you want to stay no matter how far you go.”

JESSICA [Style Contributor] Ashesi University, middle:

“My Accra is a creator’s paradise. You have to be creative to see the beauty of Accra. You have to have that imagination. That dreamer’s thing to see Accra for what it really is.”

NO SIZE CREW

STEPHEN [Intern] Ashesi University, right:

“Accra as a city is smoke, exhaust, traffic, Black people everywhere. I hear people speak Ga, Twi, I know that yes, this is my hood. Less English, more local. That’s my Accra.“

STEPHEN:

“Together we find the intrinsic part of Accra – that’s our method – take the jist of it and really find our own way. There’s another way you can take a look at Accra and Ghana. There’s another way we can actually visualize our future from this beginning.”

AIGERIM [Writing Contributor] New York University, right:

“I feel like there’s so much energy here and so much potential. There are different ways to channel the energy and I think that the young people, in order to channel that energy, they need some confidence – embracing the past, both the good and the bad, and also looking towards the future.”

CONSUMER’S MARKET

NANA OSEI [Production Coordinator] ACCRA [dot] ALT:

“My Accra is funky, vibrant, filled with youth who are ready to explore, bring out new things, and make it a nice place for everybody to live in.”

“The future for Accra is very bright because now we have youth who are coming up with great ideas. We now have youth who are concerned with the development of the city.”

AFUA’S BLING

AFUA ASONA [Design Contributor]:

“Accra can be a really artistic place, but I think that it’s an underground. It can be really business, industrial. It can be really political. Accra is anything you want it to be, really. It’s kind of an imaginary land.”

LAUNDRY LOADS

JOSH TACKIE x JESSICA

JOSH TACKIE [Intern]:

“My Accra is like a beehive – it’s vibrant, it’s full of life, it’s a hub of chaotic activity. In Accra, people come from all walks of life and they settle in one place. We still come together. There are times, for instance, when traffic lights don’t work, police don’t come around. But people take it upon themselves to direct traffic. We come together for the common good.”