Nkyinkyim: A Means of Raising Awareness about the History of Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and a Means of Dialogue Between Africans and African Diaspora
This article explores the artistic project of the Ghanaian artist, Kwame Akoto-Bamfo, entitled “the Ancestor Project”. Started in 2009, it aims to document the Trans-Atlantic slave trade and slavery through sculpture. The project gained momentum in 2017 with the Nkyinkyim installation at Cape Coast...
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| 出版年: | URI:https://journals.openedition.org/angles, |
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| 第一著者: | |
| フォーマット: | Article ou chapitre numérique |
| 言語: | Anglais |
| 出版事項: |
Angles
2025
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| 主題: | |
| オンライン･アクセス: | Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM |
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openedition-oai:revues.org:angles_9964 |
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| record_format |
openedition |
| collection |
OpenEdition Journal |
| language |
Anglais |
| format |
Article ou chapitre numérique |
| building |
0/Bibliothèque numérique/ 1/Bibliothèque numérique/OpenEdition Journals/ |
| topic |
art esclavage éducation sculpture Africain Diaspora Africaine art slavery education sculpture African African Diaspora |
| spellingShingle |
art esclavage éducation sculpture Africain Diaspora Africaine art slavery education sculpture African African Diaspora Sidibé, Bréhima Nkyinkyim: A Means of Raising Awareness about the History of Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and a Means of Dialogue Between Africans and African Diaspora |
| description |
This article explores the artistic project of the Ghanaian artist, Kwame Akoto-Bamfo, entitled “the Ancestor Project”. Started in 2009, it aims to document the Trans-Atlantic slave trade and slavery through sculpture. The project gained momentum in 2017 with the Nkyinkyim installation at Cape Coast Castle. Examining the Ancestor Project, I argue that the Nkyinkyim installation and the museum of the same name “Nkyinkyim Museum”, go beyond the objective of documenting the tragedy of the slave trade and of slavery, by paying homage to Africans who were trafficked and taken into alien territories. Through art, Akoto-Bamfo unearths the past history of slavery and forces the onlookers, no matter where they come from, to grapple with the physical, psychological and emotional trauma, the sense of loss, and the terror imposed on humanity by slavery. Unsettled with facial expressions captured by the skillfully sculpted heads, the viewer is left to contend with the dehumanization caused by systems of domination and to recognize the humanity of the captives. In a context of silence regarding the history of Trans-Atlantic slavery and internal servitude, and of poor education and awareness on those issues, the sculpted heads offer a new narrative from an African perspective that spurs genuine critical thinking about the past and its consequences on the present. Akoto-Bamfo’s collaboration with the African American art curator Daniel Dunson on the Nkyinkyim installation transcends somehow the blurred boundary and the tension opposing, sometimes, some Africans and some descendants of enslaved Africans on the issue of the slave trade, especially the disputed role played by some African kingdoms, queendoms, chieftaincies and individuals. In fact, in addition to condemning the white supremacist root of the African plight and predicament, the Ghanaian artist calls on Africans to atone for their faults. Bearing in mind the complicated relations between Africans and the descendants of enslaved Africans, the Nkyinkyim installation and Nkyinkyim Museum participate in creating networks and platforms for Africans and the Diaspora, and even to some degree for non-Africans, to come into a real dialogue and to address the broader issue of slavery and structures of domination. This necessarily contributes to strengthening the ties between Africans and the Diaspora. |
| author |
Sidibé, Bréhima |
| author_facet |
Sidibé, Bréhima |
| author_sort |
Sidibé, Bréhima |
| title |
Nkyinkyim: A Means of Raising Awareness about the History of Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and a Means of Dialogue Between Africans and African Diaspora |
| title_short |
Nkyinkyim: A Means of Raising Awareness about the History of Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and a Means of Dialogue Between Africans and African Diaspora |
| title_full |
Nkyinkyim: A Means of Raising Awareness about the History of Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and a Means of Dialogue Between Africans and African Diaspora |
| title_fullStr |
Nkyinkyim: A Means of Raising Awareness about the History of Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and a Means of Dialogue Between Africans and African Diaspora |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Nkyinkyim: A Means of Raising Awareness about the History of Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and a Means of Dialogue Between Africans and African Diaspora |
| title_sort |
nkyinkyim: a means of raising awareness about the history of trans-atlantic slave trade and a means of dialogue between africans and african diaspora |
| publisher |
Angles |
| publishDate |
2025 |
| container_title |
URI:https://journals.openedition.org/angles |
| url |
https://ezproxy.univ-orleans.fr/login?url=https://doi.org/10.4000/159oy https://ezproxy.univ-orleans.fr/login?url=https://journals.openedition.org/angles/9964 |
| _version_ |
1877291862602022912 |
| spelling |
openedition-oai:revues.org:angles_9964 https://doi.org/10.4000/159oy urn:doi:10.4000/159oy en https://journals.openedition.org/angles/9964 2025-12-03T01:00:00Z info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess article info:eu-repo/semantics/article urn:handle:20.500.13089/159oy https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Nkyinkyim: A Means of Raising Awareness about the History of Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and a Means of Dialogue Between Africans and African Diaspora Angles Société des Anglicistes de l'Enseignement Supérieur info:eu-repo/semantics/reference/issn/2274-2042 URI:https://journals.openedition.org/angles Sidibé, Bréhima art esclavage éducation sculpture Africain Diaspora Africaine art slavery education sculpture African African Diaspora This article explores the artistic project of the Ghanaian artist, Kwame Akoto-Bamfo, entitled “the Ancestor Project”. Started in 2009, it aims to document the Trans-Atlantic slave trade and slavery through sculpture. The project gained momentum in 2017 with the Nkyinkyim installation at Cape Coast Castle. Examining the Ancestor Project, I argue that the Nkyinkyim installation and the museum of the same name “Nkyinkyim Museum”, go beyond the objective of documenting the tragedy of the slave trade and of slavery, by paying homage to Africans who were trafficked and taken into alien territories. Through art, Akoto-Bamfo unearths the past history of slavery and forces the onlookers, no matter where they come from, to grapple with the physical, psychological and emotional trauma, the sense of loss, and the terror imposed on humanity by slavery. Unsettled with facial expressions captured by the skillfully sculpted heads, the viewer is left to contend with the dehumanization caused by systems of domination and to recognize the humanity of the captives. In a context of silence regarding the history of Trans-Atlantic slavery and internal servitude, and of poor education and awareness on those issues, the sculpted heads offer a new narrative from an African perspective that spurs genuine critical thinking about the past and its consequences on the present. Akoto-Bamfo’s collaboration with the African American art curator Daniel Dunson on the Nkyinkyim installation transcends somehow the blurred boundary and the tension opposing, sometimes, some Africans and some descendants of enslaved Africans on the issue of the slave trade, especially the disputed role played by some African kingdoms, queendoms, chieftaincies and individuals. In fact, in addition to condemning the white supremacist root of the African plight and predicament, the Ghanaian artist calls on Africans to atone for their faults. Bearing in mind the complicated relations between Africans and the descendants of enslaved Africans, the Nkyinkyim installation and Nkyinkyim Museum participate in creating networks and platforms for Africans and the Diaspora, and even to some degree for non-Africans, to come into a real dialogue and to address the broader issue of slavery and structures of domination. This necessarily contributes to strengthening the ties between Africans and the Diaspora. Cet article explore le projet artistique de l’artiste ghanéen, Kwame Akoto-Bamfo, intitulé « the Ancestor Project ». Initié en 2009, il vise à documenter l’avènement de la traite transatlantique des esclaves et de l’esclavage avec la sculpture. Le projet a pris de l’ampleur en 2017 avec l’installation de Nkyinkyim au Fort de Cape Coast.En examinant « the Ancestor projet », je soutiens que l’installation Nkyinkyim et le musée du même nom « Nkyinkyim Museum », va au-delà de l’objectif de documenter la tragédie de la traite négrière et de l’esclavage, en rendant hommage aux Africains qui ont été victimes de la traite et emmenés dans des territoires étrangers. À travers l’art, Akoto-Bamfo exhume l’histoire passée de l’esclavage et force les spectateurs, peu importe d’où ils viennent, à se confronter au traumatisme physique, psychologique et émotionnel, le sentiment de perte et la terreur imposés à l’humanité par l’esclavage. Déstabilisé par les expressions faciales captées par les têtes habilement sculptées, le spectateur n’a d’autre choix que de faire face à la déshumanisation causée par les systèmes de domination et de reconnaître l’humanité des captifs. Dans un contexte de silence concernant l’histoire de l’esclavage transatlantique et de la servitude interne, et d’éducation et de sensibilisation insuffisantes sur ces questions, les têtes sculptées offrent un nouveau récit d’un point de vue africain qui stimule une véritable réflexion critique sur le passé et ses conséquences sur le présent. La collaboration d’Akoto-Bamfo avec le conservateur d’art afro-américain, Daniel Dunson, sur l’installation Nkyinkyim transcende, d’une certaine manière, la frontière floue et la tension qui oppose parfois certains Africains et certains descendants des Africains esclavisés sur la question de la traite négrière, en particulier le rôle controversé joué par certains royaumes, reinaumes, chefferies et individus africains. En effet, en plus de condamner la racine suprémaciste blanche de la situation difficile et des problèmes des Africains, l’artiste ghanéen appelle les Africains à expier leurs fautes. En gardant à l’esprit les relations compliquées entre les Africains et les descendants des Africains esclavisés, l’installation Nkyinkyim et le « Nkyinkyim Museum » participent à la création de réseaux et de plateformes permettant aux Africains et à la Diaspora, et même dans une certaine mesure aux non-Africains, d’avoir de véritables dialogues et d’aborder la question plus large de l’esclavage et les structures de domination. Cela contribue nécessairement à renforcer les liens entre les Africains et la Diaspora. |