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Basic 2 · Creative Arts · Thinking and Exploring Ideas

Visual Art from Other Ghanaian Communities

In this topic you will learn about visual artworks made in different communities in Ghana.

By the end of these notes you should be able to:

  • Name visual artworks from different Ghanaian communities
  • Say what materials they are made from
  • Explain what the artworks tell us about the people

What you already know

  • Art in our community (Basic 1)

Copy everything that has a blue line on its left into your notebook. The other parts are for reading.

Strand
Visual Arts
Sub-strand
Thinking and Exploring Ideas
Indicator
B2.1.1.1.1 – Explore own experiences to talk about visual artworks that reflect the history and culture of people in other Ghanaian communities

Introduction

Bolgatanga is famous for colourful straw baskets. Krobo people make beautiful beads. Every community in Ghana has its own art.

1. Art from Different Communities

Visual arts across Ghana
ArtworkCommunityMaterial
straw basketsBolgatanga (Upper East)elephant grass straw
beadsKrobo (Eastern)glass
kenteBonwire (Ashanti) and Agotime (Volta)cotton or silk thread
wood carvingsAhwiaa (Ashanti)wood
adinkra clothNtonso (Ashanti)cloth and dye
clay potsVume (Volta)clay
A Bolgatanga straw basket, Krobo beads and a carved stool
Figure 1: Art from Ghanaian communities Draw one artwork and name its community.Photos: Vrinda Khushu, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Warmglow, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Ji-Elle, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

2. What Art Tells Us

  • what materials people find around them
  • what they believe and value
  • how they celebrate and dress

New words

craft
Art made by hand, like baskets and pots.
material
What an artwork is made of.
weave
To make cloth or baskets by crossing threads or straw.
carve
To cut wood or stone into a shape.

Summary

  • Different Ghanaian communities make different art.
  • Bolgatanga baskets, Krobo beads and Bonwire kente are famous.
  • Art tells us about the people who make it.

Class activity: Art Map

  1. Look at the photographs of Ghanaian art.
  2. Place each picture on the Ghana map where it is made.
  3. Say what material each is made from.

You need: Locally made drum, Gourd shaker, Printed photographs of Ghanaian, African performances

Exercises

Answer in your exercise book first, then check your answers.

  1. 1. Which town is famous for straw baskets?

    • A. Bolgatanga
    • B. Ho
    • C. Accra
    • D. Cape Coast
    Show answer
    Answer: BolgatangaBolga baskets are well known.

  2. 2. Krobo beads are made from…

    • A. Glass
    • B. Wood
    • C. Straw
    • D. Clay
    Show answer
    Answer: GlassKrobo beads are glass beads.

  3. 3. Ahwiaa is known for wood carving.

    • A. True
    • B. False
    Show answer
    Answer: TrueCarvers work there.

  4. 4. Kente is made from clay.

    • A. True
    • B. False
    Show answer
    Answer: FalseKente is woven from thread.

  5. 5. To cut wood into a shape is to ______.

    Show answer
    Answer: carveThat is carving.

  6. 6. Name two Ghanaian crafts and the communities that make them.

    Show answer
    Answer: E.g. baskets – Bolgatanga; beads – Krobo.Many communities have crafts.

Homework

  1. Find one handmade item at home. Ask where it was made.