INSPIRED BY GHANA
ISABEL ABREU (ACCRA LIFE SCENES)
Ghana is a country that inspires – whether it’s locals, returnees from the Diaspora, visiting tourists or those who get to call it home for either a short or long stay. Our chat for week 3 is with Isabel Abreu of ‘’Accra Life Scenes’’. She shares her story of how Ghana has inspired, and continues to inspire her, both in her work as well as in her daily live.
Tell us a bit about yourself & give us a brief intro to why you started Accra Life Scenes?
I was born in Mozambique, grew up in Portugal, lived in Kenya and now based in Ghana for the last 10 years! So I consider myself a citizen of the world, but first and foremost, an artist. I started Accra Life Scenes when I moved to Accra because I was amazed by the life all around me.
What inspired you to start Accra Life Scenes and what inspires you creatively in general?
Accra is a living kaleidoscope of things and feelings; unpredictable, always changing, and very creative. As an artist, this really impacted and inspired me to start creating scenes using watercolour illustrations. From there, it developed using photography and digital tools. The light in Accra is inspiring, just like the light of cities on the water. What inspires me in general, is travel and pursuing my passions such as the environment, art and exploring different cultures.
What is the best thing about living in Accra?
The fact that there is life all around us, the city is lively and warm, there is an informal way of living where people still sit outside their houses to catch up, people greet one another, they have genuine human interactions.
What’s your favourite spot in Accra to get away from it all?
It is actually my house and studio! But for places outside of this, I like roof terraces where you can be removed, yet can still see everything going on around you, preferably in silence. I also like being close to the sea, so a nice beach spot is always a good option!
