Accra (Greater Accra Region) 7 Oct. 1998 A photo exhibition dubbed “One Hundred years of Accra” has opened in Accra. It seeks to portray the political, social and economic life of the metropolis in its hundred years of existence. The three-faceted exhibition which closes on October 23, was packaged by the Goethe Institute, Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) and the National Museums and Monuments Board, as a part of the city’s centenary celebration. Scenes of evangelisation, bible translation and some early social trappings as captured by the cameras of Basle missionaries, form the first phase called “early on “.
The blurred pictures stored on a video, hold memories that go as far back as 1900.
Willis Bells, the exhibitor of the second part entitled “1957 to 1966” is undoubtedly Nkrumah’s era. It holds a bias towards emotion and social upheavals.
It also have memories of the construction of the Akosombo Dam and Beauty pageants that show the mini skirts won at that time. ” Today ” owned by Nii Yemo Nunu and his German colleague Ms Cordula Flegel being the last stage portrays the diverse contemporary culture of Accra.
Opening the exhibition, Mr Joshua Alabi, Greater Accra Regional Minister, called the exhibition “a walk through the memory lane of Accra to the current state.”
He was happy that the old photographs of the city’s early life which were taken to Europe and made inaccessible to Ghanaians have now been brought back.
He asked photographers and film makers to document the country’s development for posterity.
Mr Fritz Baffoe, chairman of the Ghana Museums and Monument Board said the board, in keeping with its mandate of preserving and protecting the cultural heritage of the country, welcomes anyone who has something to contribute. GRi
