After The Roadmakers 

The title of the project “After The Road Makers” is inspired by the picture book “The Road Makers” by Ghanaian author Efua Sutherlad and photographer Willis E. Bell, first published in 1961. The book celebrates the freshly independent Ghana and highlights technology as the means by which the country would realize its post-independence goals with the help of hard working citizens towards a common goal. 

Ofoe was guided by the first two sentences, which read: “Our fathers found the path” and “We are the road makers”. They led him to wonder if the ideologies and aesthetic philosophies which once ensured colonial control were considered as the inspiration for this modern version of Ghana; described as a poor Third World country.  

With this documentary project Ofoe hopes to create a link back to a space and time before the construction of a new road to Ghana’s prosperity. The work explores the paths of human relations, wisdom and old traditions as an alternative to modern capitalist driven systems which have failed, and investigates how the old ways can be a source of aesthetic inspiration for modern life.

Ofoe is also inspired by the discovery of his own family’s royal ancestry, dating back to Togbui Sri I of Anloga, Volta Region (Ghana), which led him to take on a new perspective on life and understanding of culture.

The series earned a nomination for Ghana’s foremost art prize, the Kuenyehia Prize for Contemporary Ghanaian Art. It was part of the “Daily Graphic” exhibition of the first Nuku Photo Festival Ghana (2018). Ofoe also hosted a solo exhibition of the series at luxury fashion showroom, Bello Edu.