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Ghanaian photographer and film maker Paul Ninson has opened Africa’s largest photography library in Ghana’s capital, Accra. The hub called the ‘Dikan Center,’ houses more than 30,000 photography books and collections on African photography pioneers, diaspora, and creatives. Nneka Chile reports from Accra, Ghana
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Transcript/Script English
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((PLAYBOOK SLUG: GHANA AFRICA PHOTO LIBRARY
HEADLINE: Africa’s Largest Photography Library Opens in Accra
TEASER: ‘Dikan Center’ houses more than 30,000 photography books and collections from African photography pioneers and diaspora
PUBLISHED: 1/31/2023 at 11:40am
BYLINE: Nneka Chile
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: ACCRA, GHANA
VIDEOGRAPHER: NNEKA CHILE
PRODUCER:
SCRIPT EDITORS: Schearf, Salem Solomon
VIDEO SOURCE(S): VOA ORIGINAL
PLATFORMS: (mark with X) WEB_TV X RADIO X
TRT: 2:36
VID APPROVED BY: MAS
TYPE: TVPKG
EDITORS NOTES: ))
((INTRO))
[[Ghanaian photographer and film maker Paul Ninson has opened Africa’s largest photography library in Ghana’s capital, Accra. The hub called the ‘Dikan Center,’ houses more than 30,000 photography books and collections on African photography pioneers, diaspora, and creatives. Nneka Chile reports from Accra, Ghana.]]
((NARRATOR))
Africa’s largest photo library is the vision of Ghanaian photographer and filmmaker Paul Ninson, who studied at the International Center of Photography in New York.
((Paul Ninson, Dikan Center Founder)) ((In English, 15 secs))
“For me as an advocate of education, I wanted to be able to give fellow Ghanaians and Africans opportunity in a space and a place to be able to learn and share our core value, share experience, and build our community as well.”
((NARRATOR))
The library, which opened in December, has more than 30,000 books from Ninson’s personal collection and donations from New York’s private galleries, museums, and bookshops.
His goal is to expand the frontiers of African photography, which inspired the name “Dikan,” an Asante word meaning “take the lead.”
((Paul Ninson, Dikan Center Founder)) (In English))
“It was the idea of accessibility like how do these materials become accessible to people. It is easy to archive. It is easy to collect, but the most thing is how do these collections make impact in people’s lives and society.”
((NARRATOR))
Most of West Africa’s historical moments were documented by westerners and archived in libraries of former colonial powers.
For Ghana’s photographers, the Dikan Center’s library is a milestone.
[[Radio track: Francis Kokoroko is a documentary photographer.]]
((Francis Kokoroko, Documentary Photographer)) ((In English, 20 seconds))
“A photo library like this kind of exposes the continent to possibilities. For us (photographers) it makes us take inventory of what is actually been produced from the continent and what is western. I think there’s a gap and we need to catch up, but I mean it’s really encouraging to see works of Africans within the library and what has been done so far.”
((NARRATOR))
The Dikan Center also features a photo studio, classroom, and an exhibition space for established and emerging talents to showcase their works.
Ghana’s young creatives say they are ready to take up the reins of documenting Africa’s past, present and future.
[[Radio track: Ghanaian-American Rita Mawuena Benissan is founder of Si Hene, an institute collecting stories on Ghana’s royal history and culture.]]
((Rita Mawuena Benissan, Si Hene Institute Founder)) ((In English, 25 secs))
“We have to really break down the problem first where we see many of our archives and visual cultures being documented or be presented outside of the continent. But then when it comes to institutions, we don’t really have too many institutions in the continent that are able to uphold many of our visual cultures. But I think we are on the right path of breaking down the narrative that we can really establish our own.
((NARRATOR))
Ninson says Africans should tell their own story in their own narrative and hopes the Dikan Center will encourage more visual libraries to open across the continent.
((Nneka Chile, for VOA News, Accra, Ghana.))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Embargo DateJanuary 31, 2023 11:38 EST
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
