Giving Ghanaian Creatives What They Deserve

ACCRA, Ghana — Much of the full-fledged mainstream phenomena that we accept as givens, say streetwear or hip hop, were birthed out of tiny spaces with a specific community in mind — say surf meets hip hop meets skateboarding culture or one legendary house party in the Bronx and that matters tremendously. Consider how both streetwear and hip hop linked and separately have proliferated in popular culture in magnitudes far greater than its loyal originators and perpetuators could ever imagine. It suggests how critically important it is to protect these niche spaces as they develop, that often provide a forum for experimentation and exploration for an underserved populace.

Ghana’s capital city and beyond in its surrounding regions can claim so many creative greats and cross-continental favorites — Virgil Abloh, Edward Enninful, Ozwald Boateng, and the Casely-Hayford clan; not to mention powerhouse brands Christie Brown and AAKS — and in many ways, offers a similar context for the seeds of mainstream phenomena to grow.

A growing movement is brewing in Accra led by curator Travis Obeng-Casper, who formalized what began as a casual meeting of friends into a blossoming ecosystem of Ghanaian creatives. PROTOChic caught up with Obeng-Casper to learn more about his mission and his vision for the future of Ghana’s creative economy.

PROTOChic: You have described QOMPOSITION as providing platforms, building interest, and increasing visibility of young Ghanaian creatives. Why did you start?

Travis Obeng-Casper: History teaches us that the strength of creative movements lies in their ability to bring creatives together to both collaborate and push each other. This is true of Paris’ Impressionist movement of the 1870s as it is of New York’s Hip Hop scene in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Recognizing this, QOMPOSITION started with the aim of bringing young Ghanaian creatives together to collaborate and support each other. Ultimately, it is hoped that by pooling together the best young talent Ghana has to offer, the QOMPOSITION Collective will be at the forefront of the growth and development of the local creative ecosystem by providing platforms for such talent to share, create, exhibit, and monetize their artistic expressions.

PROTOChic: What does greater visibility of Ghanaian creatives within the fashion and art industries mean to you, both personally and professionally?

Travis Obeng-Casper: It means giving our story the audience it deserves. The last decade has seen Ghanaian and African culture morph and change at a pace unprecedented in the post-colonial era. In a very weird way, we have become more African and yet more westernized all at the same time. Art (as well as fashion) is where the conversations about what this all means and who we have become is happening. That conversation needs engagement from everyone — Ghanaian, African and non-African alike. In practical terms, what this actually looks like is more magazine features, more catwalk shows, and more art exhibitions. The fact that this will also help creatives extract monetary value from their work is a welcome by-product.

PROTOChic: Can you share a few Ghanaian creatives or entrepreneurs who inspire you at this time?

Travis Obeng-Casper: I love the work of KAYADUA @kaya_dua, Papa Oppong @papaoppong, Steve French @stevefrenchie, David Alabo @davidalabo, Awo Tsegah @awo_tsegah and many other creatives.

PROTOChic: What is the impact you hope QOMPOSITION will have on the industry more broadly?

Travis Obeng-Casper: The success and failure of QOMPOSITION hinges on its ability to foster real collaboration amongst creatives and to build the platforms that will help them show their work to the world. QOMPOSITION intends to contribute to the development of Ghana’s creative economy by playing an integral part in the development of the magazines, webinars, exhibitions, fashion shows, and multi-functional work spaces that will define the local creative scene for a generation.

PROTOChic: Last year, QOMPOSITION opened its first exhibition combining both art and fashion. What led you to this project? How would you unpack the exhibition title "FROM US" and what is next on the horizon?

Travis Obeng-Casper: "FROM US" is basically the point at which we begin our journey. The idea for the exhibition was birthed quite organically in an informal meeting of creative friends. A number of the creatives who exhibited at the event had recently completed bodies of work that they were yet to show the world. The name of the exhibition “FROM US” was simply a nod to our frank and raw presentation of ourselves and our work as a gift to the world.

Going forward, the QOMPOSITION family will grow. We learned a lot from our first event that has allowed us to streamline our operations. What that means is that we are now in a position to invite even more creatives to join the family in one capacity or another. What does this mean for us? We aren’t entirely sure yet. What we are certain about though is that whatever it is, we will be positively impacting the local creative ecosystem by fostering collaboration and building head-turning platforms.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity. Image courtesy of KAYADUA (@kaya_dua).