Photography: The Akan Fishermen, The Gold Coast, Ghana by Elisabeth Sunday

All Photos © Elisabeth Sunday

“Note about this series: The Akan Fishermen have been fishing the shores of West Africa over hundreds of generations. I met six Akan fishermen along the shores of the Gold Coast in 2009. After talking a while, they began to express concern over the declining fisheries. They fish by night from handmade canoes using only lines and small nets. I asked the men if I could photograph them and they agreed. I urged them to express their love for the sea by using the fish they capture as metaphor in the way they hold them. They chose the fish and made their own poses understanding that their body language and expressions would tell their story. I photographed the same men in 2010 and again in 2011. This last March of 2011, they were much more comfortable with the camera and their deep connection to the sea and to themselves is fully evident.” Elisabeth Sunday

Paulina Opoku-Gyimah says: There’s a haunting stillness to these images that strikes at the soul. With Ghanaian fishermen at the mercy of mother nature’s whims -many are barely scratching a living from this unpredictable [traditional] profession -and photographer Elisabeth Sunday has captured -their uncertainty -perfectly. I don’t know if Elisabeth Sunday has exhibited [this work] in Ghana -but it would be good to see them on show -with the various fishermen in attendance. For more information about Elisabeth Sunday visit: http://elisabethsundayafrica.blogspot.com/


More Info….
For 25 years, Elisabeth Sunday has found her muse in Africa: a place of origins, devastating beauty, great troubles and unyielding expressions of life. A few years ago, Elisabeth traveled to the West African country of Ghana to scout out a new location. There, she met a group of Akan fishermen living along the beach who were willing to be photographed over a period of time. The fish, sometimes cradled in the arms of the powerful fishermen, are an ancient symbol of higher awareness and provide a proof of their continuous link to nature. Elisabeth simply asked the men to express their love for the sea through the fish they capture. The resulting portfolio of the Akan is an intimate look at their bond with the sea and the natural world and the respect they have for both. Credit: http://www.lensculture.com/webloglc/mt_files/archives/2011/06/

***P.s …how evocatively beautiful are these black & white photographs on Ghana Rising’s dark background? I want some prints -now…