I was browsing around at other people’s entries for Ailsa’s travel theme and was inspired by http://adinparadise.wordpress.com/2012/07/02/travel-theme-art/ who shows photos of her sister’s beautiful art work. It reminded me of a visit to Sirigu in Northern Ghana, close to the border with Burkina Faso. SWOPA, Sirigu Women’s Organisation of Pottery and Art has been around for about fifteen years. It has brought women out of poverty while promoting their cultural identity in a traditional society. They are known for the way they decorate the outside of their homes and the art they produce is stunning, as well as the pottery they make. Here are the things we bought there.
This hangs on the dining room wall.
Bird one
Bird two
The entrance to the workshops
Round rooms, you can even stay here! That would be wonderful, these huts looked so cute. I would love to return and spend longer than a day visit.
These are so great! I especially love the designs on the buildings – so full of energy and character! Thanks for sharing! Z
So colourful. Beautiful art.
I have never seen anything like this. It almost seems like a giant, beautiful urn you can live in!
African art is so different, GIlly. These examples are really stunning. Thanks for the link to my post.
I love those birds, and want to stay in one of those huts. Fabulous post about this great organisation in Ghana, Gilly.
Beautiful Gilly. I love that fish and the decoration on the walls of that shop. Thanks for sharing.
so exciting and inspiring, we had african art at home when i was growing up, bright strong colours and intricate patterns, thanks for telling us about SWOPA, …i once slept in a round grass hut at Victoria Falls when i was five, i fell down the gap between the rectangular bed and the curved wall!
Terrific selections and I love that they are African pieces incorporated in daily life.
ღ˚ •。* ♥ ˚ ˚✰˚ ˛★* 。 ღ˛° 。* °♥ ˚ • ★ *˚ .ღ 。*˛˚ღ •˚ ˚ Happy Independence Day Greetings! ˚ ✰* ★˚. ★ *˛ ˚♥* ✰。˚ ˚ღ。* ˛˚ ♥ 。✰˚* ˚ ★ღ ˚ 。✰ •* ˚ ♥
The art is so striking and very cultural. Thank you, Gilly.
Holy double WOW …. !!! I love these. YUP – I want to spend a night in one of these little huts.
This is a fantastic entry, Gilly. I am always amazed at the unusual things you have taken photos of. Very nice … keep it up.
Toodles,
Izzy
Gilly, incidentally, my half brother, Ricky comes from that part of the country. His mother (we share the same father) madame Melanie Kasise is the one who brought the women together and founded the SWOPA as a self help project and later handed it over to them. Thank you so much for sharing this.
how could you not be creative I ask in such an environment
Inspring works of Art everywhere, even the workshop place. Bright and colorful, joyful and fun, simply beautiful. Thanks….
I love the fish and the paintings on the workshop walls. The round huts are also ubiquitious in South Africa, where I grew up, and are known colloquially in English as ‘rondavels’
the round rooms are so wonderful!