Basic 9 · Creative Arts and Design · Creativity

Prototyping Solutions and Studying African Artists and Composers

In this topic you will build and test a design solution for a local problem, and analyse the works of African visual artists and art composers and what they reflect about history, culture and society.

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

Build and test a prototype
Analyse works by African visual artists
Distinguish how African art composers reflect culture and issues

What you already know

Applying the design process

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

Lesson 1

Strand: Design
Sub-strand: Creativity
Indicator: B9.1.3.1.3 – Demonstrate ability to apply the design process to create artefacts that solve specific problems in the local community

Introduction

A prototype does not need to be perfect. It needs to teach you something.

1. Building a Prototype

A prototype is a first working version of your idea. Use cheap materials, such as card, wood scraps or old containers, to test how it works. Build only what you need to answer your main questions. Is it the right size? Will it hold together? Can people use it without help? Early prototypes can look rough, and this is fine.

2. Testing the Prototype

Testing plan

Test	Example question	How to test
function	Does it do the job?	try it in real use
strength	Will it last?	load or drop it safely
safety	Could it hurt anyone?	check for sharp edges
ease of use	Is it simple?	ask users to try
cost	Is it affordable?	add up material costs

3. Improving the Design

Record what you see during the test. Watch what users do, and not just what they say. If people struggle with something, then the design needs to change, not the people. Make changes and test again. Each round of testing and change is called an iteration. Most successful products need many iterations.

Cost per unit

A waste-sorting bin uses wood worth GH₵40, paint worth GH₵15 and nails worth GH₵5, with labour of GH₵20. What is the cost per bin? If sold at GH₵100, what is the profit?

Cost: 40 + 15 + 5 + 20 = 80.
Profit: 100 − 80.

Answer: Cost GH₵80 and profit GH₵20

Colour-coded waste bins

Figure 1: Sorting bins Write a test plan for your prototype.

4. Presenting the Solution

Present your problem, research, designs, tests and final solution. Show the user feedback and what you changed. A clear presentation helps people to understand why your design matters. It can even lead to support from your school or from local businesses.

New words

iteration: One round of testing and improving.
function: What something is meant to do.
durability: How long something lasts.
feedback: Comments that help to improve work.

Summary

Prototypes test ideas cheaply.
Testing checks function, strength, safety, ease and cost.
Each iteration improves the design.

Class activity: Test Day

Build a simple prototype.
Test it with users.
Record what you will change.

You need: Printed photographs of a local Ghanaian sanitation problem, Reused cardboard, Sachet-water bags, Pencils with drawing paper

Exercises

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

1. A first working model is a…
- A. prototype
- B. palette
- C. chord
- D. review
Show answer
Answer: prototypeModel.
2. One round of testing and improving is an…
- A. iteration
- B. arpeggio
- C. exhibition
- D. audience
Show answer
Answer: iterationCycle.
3. A prototype must look perfect.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: FalseIt can be rough.
4. How long something lasts is its ______.
Show answer
Answer: durabilityTesting.
5. State three things to test.
Show answer
Answer: Function, strength and safety.Any three.
6. A product costs GH₵65 to make and sells at GH₵90. Find the profit.
Show answer
Answer: GH₵2590 − 65.

Lesson 2

Strand: Visual Arts
Sub-strand: Innovation and the Design Process
Indicator: B9.2.3.1.1 – Identify discuss and analyze creative artworks of African visual artists that reflect their background influence and way of solving continental issues

Introduction

From Ghana to South Africa, African artists use their work to reflect history, explore identity and suggest solutions to the continent's problems.

1. Selected African Artists

African visual artists

Artist	Country	Known for
El Anatsui	Ghana	bottle-cap wall hangings
Ibrahim Mahama	Ghana	jute sack installations
Ablade Glover	Ghana	palette-knife paintings
Kane Kwei	Ghana	figurative coffins
Bruce Onobrakpeya	Nigeria	printmaking
Esther Mahlangu	South Africa	Ndebele painting
Malangatana	Mozambique	paintings about war and struggle

2. Art Reflecting Background

Kane Kwei, from Teshie, made coffins in the form of cocoa pods, fish and cars, which reflect a person's life. Esther Mahlangu has taken Ndebele wall painting, usually done by women, to the world stage, even decorating a BMW car. Malangatana's paintings show the pain of colonial rule and war in Mozambique. Each artist's background gives their art its roots and strength.

3. Art as a Way of Solving Problems

African artists often use local materials in response to problems. Using waste as a medium highlights consumption and pollution. Ibrahim Mahama has also used income from his art to build cultural centres in Tamale, including the Savannah Centre for Contemporary Art, where young people can learn. Art can thus benefit a community directly, by creating education and jobs.

A figurative coffin from the Kane Kwei workshop

Figure 2: Figurative coffin Choose one African artist and describe a work.

4. Analysing a Work

Describe what you see, including its medium.
Analyse its use of elements and principles.
Research the artist's background.
Interpret the meaning.
Judge how well it communicates.

Use this method whenever you study an artwork. Asking "What was this artist responding to?" will often reveal its deeper meaning.

New words

installation: A large artwork arranged in a space.
printmaking: Creating images by printing.
identity: Who a person or group is.
figurative coffin: A coffin shaped to reflect a person's life.

Summary

African artists reflect their history and identity.
Many use local and waste materials.
Art can address problems and support communities.

Class activity: Artist Research

Choose an African artist.
Prepare a short talk with pictures.
Explain how their art reflects their background.

You need: Printed reproductions by named African visual artists, Printed African artist-profile cards, Chart paper with pencils

Exercises

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

1. Ibrahim Mahama is known for using…
- A. jute sacks
- B. oil paint only
- C. glass
- D. steel beams only
Show answer
Answer: jute sacksInstallations.
2. Kane Kwei is known for…
- A. figurative coffins
- B. printmaking
- C. photography
- D. dance
Show answer
Answer: figurative coffinsTeshie.
3. Esther Mahlangu's art draws on Ndebele traditions.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: TrueSouth Africa.
4. A large artwork arranged in a space is an ______.
Show answer
Answer: installationForm.
5. Name two African visual artists and their countries.
Show answer
Answer: El Anatsui of Ghana and Malangatana of Mozambique.Any two.
6. How has Ibrahim Mahama supported his community?
Show answer
Answer: He has used his income to build cultural centres in Tamale for education and art.Community.

Lesson 3

Strand: Performing Arts (Music)
Sub-strand: Connections in Local and Global Cultures
Indicator: B9.2.3.2.3 – Distinguish different ways musical works of African art composers reflect the history culture environment and topical issues

Introduction

Africa's art composers combine local traditions with Western forms to create music for choirs, orchestras and concert halls.

1. What Is an Art Composer?

Art composer: A musician who writes down formal music for performance.

Art music is carefully written down and performed by choirs, soloists or orchestras. Many African composers studied Western notation, yet wanted their music to sound African. They combined local rhythms, tones and languages with Western harmony. This blending helped to build a sense of national and cultural pride, especially in the time of independence.

2. Selected Composers

African art composers

Composer	Country	Known for
Ephraim Amu	Ghana	Yɛn Ara Asaase Ni
Philip Gbeho	Ghana	Ghana's national anthem
J.H. Kwabena Nketia	Ghana	composition and research on African music
Fela Sowande	Nigeria	African Suite
Enoch Sontonga	South Africa	Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika
Akin Euba	Nigeria	African pianism

3. Ephraim Amu

Ephraim Amu was a Ghanaian composer and teacher who insisted on African dignity. As a young teacher, he refused to give up African dress and music, and he lost his job at a mission school because of this. His song Yɛn Ara Asaase Ni ("This Is Our Own Land") is often sung as a patriotic anthem. He later taught at Achimota College, where he and his students trained choirs and collected Ghanaian music. He showed that a person could be modern and educated while remaining proudly African.

A portrait of Ephraim Amu

Figure 3: Ephraim Amu Sing or listen to Yɛn Ara Asaase Ni.

4. How Their Music Reflects Society

How composers reflect society

Area	Example
history	Songs recall the struggle for independence.
culture	Local rhythms and languages are used.
environment	Lyrics speak of the land.
topical issues	Songs call for unity and hard work.

Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika, composed by Sontonga in 1897, became a song of struggle against apartheid, and it now forms part of South Africa's anthem. Its use shows how one composer's hymn can come to mean something to an entire nation. Listen closely to these works, noticing their language and rhythm, and ask what they say about their time.

New words

art music: Formal music written for performance.
notation: A written system for music.
anthem: A song of loyalty or praise.
patriotic: Showing love of one's country.

Summary

African art composers blend local and Western forms.
Amu, Gbeho and Nketia are important Ghanaian composers.
Their music reflects history, culture and social issues.

Class activity: Listening Session

Listen to a work by an African composer.
Note its language and rhythm.
Discuss what it reflects about society.

You need: Mobile phone with offline African-composer recordings, Printed composer-profile cards, Printed notation paper

Exercises

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

1. Yɛn Ara Asaase Ni was composed by…
- A. Ephraim Amu
- B. Fela Kuti
- C. Philip Gbeho
- D. E.T. Mensah
Show answer
Answer: Ephraim AmuAmu.
2. Who composed Ghana's national anthem?
- A. Philip Gbeho
- B. Ephraim Amu
- C. Kofi Antubam
- D. Efua Sutherland
Show answer
Answer: Philip GbehoAnthem.
3. Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika was composed by Enoch Sontonga.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: True1897.
4. A written system for music is ______.
Show answer
Answer: notationWriting.
5. How did African art composers blend styles?
Show answer
Answer: They combined local rhythms and languages with Western harmony.Blend.
6. How can a song become part of national history?
Show answer
Answer: Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika, a hymn, became a song of struggle and part of a national anthem.Example.

Homework

Research one African composer and write about a work by that composer.