Picture: “In my work I want to portray black boys in a natural, powerful way. Proud, carefree and strong: golden boys”. - Kwabena Sekyi Appiah-nti. Photo by Kwabena Sekyi Appiah-nti Instagram/@sekyii
From travelling across Ghana to celebrating black identity with Burberry, the intrepid 27-year-old imagemaker is set on reimagining the Black male experience.
Kwabena Sekyi Appiah-nti happens to be Belgian-Ghanian, but it was only about two years ago that he visited Ghana and explored his father’s culture as well as this facet of his very own identity. In his new photobook Sika Kokoo (which translates to “red money” in the Ghanaian Twi language), he documents his wide-ranging travels across the country through atmospheric analogue-style photography.
Currently based in Amsterdam in The Netherlands, his photographic practice is mostly underpinned by a fascination with the universal experience of boyhood. “It’s about capturing the day-to-day lives of boys and men through my own gaze, one that may not be commonly shared. Everything I do, all the subjects I choose, have sprinkles of my childhood interests and current fascinations mixed into it,” Kwabena Sekyi Appiah-nti says.
Most recently, in conjunction with Black History Month in the UK, Kwabena Sekyi Appiah-nti was tapped by contemporary African cultural platform Manju Journal and British luxury brand Burberry to celebrate black identity in Africa.
Below, Kwabena Sekyi Appiah-nti shares more about Sika Kokoo, his first commercial project in Ghana and the dream location where he would live to shoot someday.
How did your interest in photography come about?
I always had an interest in visuals as a kid. I was on Tumblr a lot. One day, I picked up my mother’s analogue camera and tried to recreate these Tumblr-style photos.
Your new book Sika Kokoo is a documentation of your first encounter with your fatherland, Ghana. What was your connection with Ghana before the visit and how has it changed since the production of this book?
I always felt proud of being Ghanaian, but I did not know a lot about what was happening in the country next to what my dad told me about it and what I saw happening in the music scene. My connection with the country has changed a lot. While producing my book, I did some research into the history, symbolism and culture while also learning a lot from my visits.
For Black History Month in the UK, you worked with Manju Journal and Burberry to celebrate black identity. I believe you referenced photographers Kwame Brathwaite and Philip Kwame Apagya. How was your experience on this project?
It was interesting looking at what these legendary photographers did in the past and creating a contemporary version inspired by their work. It was my first time working in Ghana on a commercial job. Hopefully, it will be the first of many! We had a great and hardworking team. The whole team was Ghana-based except for me. When we shot the image with the guys standing arm in arm, we knew we had a killer shot!
Was there a particular place, experience or photograph that has been the most memorable to you?
For me, it was being on the back of a bike while photographing a Ghanaian bike crew. It was a movie-like experience cruising on the Accra highway at night while bikes are popping wheelies next to me.
Do you have any tips for aspiring photographers?
My tip would be to keep your photography personal. Take photos of things that really interest you. Everything can be interesting enough for a project as long as you have a new, refreshing or interesting take on it.
Is there a personality or location that you would like to shoot at some time in the future?
I would love to visit Jamaica to shoot more for my bike life project!
Head over to Kwabena Sekyi Appiah-nti’s website and Instagram to view more of his work.
Written by Aravin Sandran.
This article originally appeared on GQ Middle East.
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