Handmade Perched Bird African wood mask (Ghana)

I was born on June 23, 1976 in the Volta region of Ghana. I am an honest and trustworthy person who used to weave palm branches and mould items from waste tins I picked up around my neighborhood. In 1995, I fell very sick. My mother had to spend all her money to pay hospital bills, including money saved for my school fees. I had to drop out of school as a result.

The good thing is that I recovered from my sickness. I was thinking of what I could do with my life and realized that what I desired was to craft things, and so I should learn a trade. I joined my uncle who was a carver, and he encouraged me to learn how to finish carved items. It took me two years to learn.

I teamed up with my uncle to work and get paid. When he carved I finished the items. I had the opportunity to train several people who apprenticed at my uncle's workshop.

Starting on my own was not too difficult as I had bought the basic tools to work with while working for my uncle. I built a small workshop where I could craft my pieces. Things were going smoothly for me until a road expansion project made me lose my workshop. I lost most customers so this was a difficult period for me. I realized I had to relocate to the Aburi to start afresh.

The favorite thing about this art is designing the aluminum plates and creating the symbols. I get inspired by what I see around me.

It is my dream and plan to expand my venture to reach customers around the world.