ORE INTERNATIONAL

Woezor! ORE is a non-profit organisation devoted to conducting research on Ewe culture and is also platform to discuss the social and cultural issues relating to Eweland.

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Festival of the Kings Nov 2016 Anloga-Lashibi, Children dancing Agbadza

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History of Borborbor - An Ewe traditional dance 

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#vsco #vscocam #voltaregion #skyplus #tourism #follow4follow #tour #trip #travel #ho #photoblog #photowalk #photoblogger #africaninspired #instagram #ipostghana #inspireafrica #landscape #landscape_captures #experienceaccra #tourofalifetime I love to capture the beauty of my country #chaletours (at Sky Plus Hotel.Ho)

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Notable Ewes Series: El Anatsui -  Born in Anyako (1944), in the Volta region of present day Ghana, Anatsui trained at the College of Art, in the University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. In 1975, he began working as a lecturer in the University of Nsukka, Nigeria.

Using waste material to form intricate tapestries, His work explores numerous themes, varying between colonialism and the African experience, to contemporary issues like consumption and the environment. His works are heavily inspired by various traditional African writing systems, religions and philosophies.  

His work has been displayed in various cities across the world, including New York, Tokyo, Paris and Amsterdam. He currently works as a professor of sculpture at the University of Nsukka.

Image Sources: www.ago.net, www.thebroad.org, spinkdesignblog.wikidot.com, www.brooklynmuseum.org, hyperallergic.com 

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Sena. Portrait. Photo:Francis Kokoroko 2015 #ghana

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Eklou Gabriel is an Ewe Ghanaian painter, born in Ghana in 1966 and educated in Togo and Benin. He is a self-taught painter and his symbolic landscapes and slender figures often draw from traditions of Ghanaian folklore. Eklou established The Motherlandstudio. Although he is based in Canada, his work has been exhibited internationally - including Accra, Lome, London, Munich and Copenhagen.

“I started painting as a child. Then, as now, I discovered an inexplicable inner force that demanded outward expression.”

Read More about his life here* (*written in Spanish)

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Fisherman - Volta region, Ghana

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The Ewe in pre-colonial times (Published 1986) By D. E. K. Amenumey

Amenumey has written extensively on Ewe people and their history. This book's main focus is the origin of the Ewe, and how they came to settle into their current area - with a particular focus on the Anlo, Krepi and Ge states. 

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Notable Ewes' series: Mrs Esther Ocloo (Nee Nkulenu)

Born to farmers in Peki Dzake (1919), Esther showed a high aptitude in school and was awarded a scholarship to prestigious secondary school Achimota. While looking to further her education, Esther's aunt gave her some money to help her look after herself, which she used to invest in a business. 

While undertaking home sciences at school, she gained skills which gave her the idea to make and sell marmalade. Before long, her business took off and she was able to employ more people to sell for her. Esther, then Miss Nkulenu, acquired a contract to produce orange juice for the Royal West African Frontier Force. 

The Achimota authorities, who had always been supportive of her endeavours, arranged for her to complete cooking and preservation courses in the UK. On her return to the Gold Coast, she expanded her business and actively used her position to help various women's groups in the country. 

Now Mrs Ocloo, she furthered her vocational education, learning about the canning and preserving of African foods. This led to the creation of Nkulenu industries, which went on to pioneer the selling of preserved food in Ghana. Mrs Ocloo continued to be involved in many instrumental activities in Ghana, which included being the president of Ghana Industries and serving as the board of director for women's world banking in Ghana.

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Ewe proverb series: Ewe’s have a longstanding and rich tradition of storytelling. Proverbs hold a central position in Ewe culture; and are a way that useful advice,knowledge and life lessons are retained and passed on in a simple way.

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Anloga - Crab sellers -  March 2016

Source: Instagram - @yayra_bee

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Notable Ewes' series: Sylvanus Olympio was the first president of Togo between 1961-1963.

Born on September 6th 1906 in Kpando, ( presently in Ghana) Olympio belonged to a wealthy family in what was then Togoland. After the second World War, Olympio joined a political group and was elected president of the first territorial assembly in 1946. One of Olympio's main ambitions was to unite the Ewe people, who had been divided between French and British territories. However, he failed to do so partly due to political disagreements with Ghana's Kwame Nkrumah. 

After leading Togo to independence, political divisions between Togo's north and south led to his assassination, which became the 1st of Africa's many governmental coups of that era.

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Notable Ewes series: Dr Ephraim Amu Born in 1899 in Peki Avetile, Ephraim Amu was a self taught composer who later went on to study at London’s Royal college of music between 1937-1940. Amu did extensive research into West African musical instruments, travelling throughout Ewe and Twi speaking areas. He proceeded to compose many well known hymns and anthems in both languages that are still sung and played in Ghana today.

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Ewe Kente - Much of what is known about Kente is based on Kente woven in the Ashanti Region of modern day Ghana. However, for centuries Kente - (a corruption of the Ewe words ‘Ke’ - to open and ‘Te’ - to close, which describe the movements of the loom while weaving), has been woven by the Ewe people. There are various different styles of Ewe Kente, which include stripes, squares and both cultural and decorative motifs. 

The rich heritage of weaving among the Ewe’s is commemorated yearly in the Agotime Kente festival - where numerous designs, both new and traditional are showcased. 

Source:  adireafricantextiles.com, Africancraft

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Ewe women.

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The Most Beautiful woman in the world.

Photography by Ofoe Amegavie, 2014

Traditional Bride’s Maid

Dzodze - Volta Region, Ghana

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Get To Know: Artist André Hora

André Hora is a Brazilian/British artist and freelance illustrator whom I met in a chilly New York last year. At that time, we found ourselves in the company of Artist Tim Okamura during a personal interview regarding his popular paintings. On the rooftop of Tim’s art studio, André and I looked over at the city of Manhattan splayed out in front of us and it was there I learnt about his art. We discussed his different influences within the art world and I was so fascinated by his work that I later had to contact him for an interview.

Y: Can you tell us a little bit about your art? Some of your pieces have a distinct African flare to them. With the several cultural and identity labels within Brazil, have any of them affected you as an artist and in what ways?

André: I would define my art as narrative, especially the late works, almost all of which are telling a story, a myth or describing a day-to-day situation. On my early works we see a lot of faces and skulls – I was obsessed by the human head!  I didn’t attend a formal art school, although I learnt to draw at a very early age with my Dad (who is an architect), and since then I have attended several private lessons and workshops in Brazil, France and in the UK where I am based. I am drawn to Afro-Brazilian culture and particularly to Yoruba mythology as we find in Candomblé (a mixture of traditional Yoruba, Fon, Ewe and Bantu beliefs).  Not only because I come from Bahia, but because my great-great-grandmother was a slave. I was always fascinated by this ancestor of mine I knew so little about. So from my Portuguese, Native American and African origins, I find myself very influenced on my art by the latter – both aesthetically and philosophically.

(read more of the interview)

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Dedicated to the Cultural Preservation of the African Aesthetic

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