Here are some pictures and portraits of the beautiful and hardworking people of the town of Aburi, near Accra in Ghana. Working in a small community of artisans in the mountains of the Akuapem region of Ghana, these master craftsmen and women work tirelessly creating traditional Ghanaian and African art. As I happened to have my camera on me that day, I asked them if I might kindly photograph them at work. Below are a few of the photographs I captured.
A collection of colorful and freshly varnished African masks.
A craftsman carving a traditional ghanaian bird.
A selection of wooden bowls with african patterns carved into the sides sits alongside a collection of tribal masks.
A young apprentice craftsman poses outside his father's shop.
These are called 'passport masks' and worked the same way a passport does back in the old times. Each tribe would have a specific mask and this helped identify who was part of which group.
Smiling lady outside her store selling masks. I remember buying quite a few!
I think I bought all of these!
This craftsman has an impressive assortment of larger carvings in all kinds of colours of wood I didn't even know existed...
A friendly craftsman invited me into his hut to display his wares, some beautiful tribal masks but unfortunately too large for me to carry.
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