Mohammed Abubakari Ayolga was busy marketing his wood carvings to prospective buyers, so all efforts to get his attention when I got to the Art Centre proved futile. That gave me an opportune time to feast my eyes on the various types of wood carvings and artworks displayed at the Art Centre from diverse groups of artists and wood carvers across the nation.
I must say, the Art Centre is a warehouse for beautifully crafted pieces, from wood carvings to drums, woven handbags, jewelry boxes, necklaces, flower vases, and so much more.
After admiring these beautiful carvings on display, I had to sit for a while since he was still busily attending to prospective buyers. As I quietly sat on that wooden chair between two wooden stalls, my keen desire was just one – I wanted to find out more about wood carvings and how the business is going. After Abubakari had satisfied his customers, he turned to speak to me, and I quickly made my intentions known to him. But before that, he asked if I wanted to buy anything, to which I answered in the affirmative. Though his facial expression dropped, he didn’t hesitate to take me around his shop, pointing out each wood carving, its name, and what it is used for.
Abubakari wanted me to buy a woven basket that cost GH₵60 as an appreciation for taking time out of his busy schedule to show me around. However, that was impossible because I hadn’t budgeted for it, so I promised to come back again and shop for everything wood carving-related.
What emerged from our chat is that their customers are usually foreigners and tourists, meaning locals do not purchase locally made products from the Art Centre, slowing down business. According to him, Ghanaians rather prefer goods from China to products produced in their homeland.
When Ayolga was asked what he thought the reason for locals not purchasing wood carvings and other products from the center was, he said they usually say the products are much more expensive compared to similar ones from China.
Mohammed Abubakari Ayolga, from Bolgatanga in the Upper West region, started wood carving about 10 years ago. He currently has a shop at the Art Centre where he displays his work to prospective buyers. The Art Centre in Accra, Ghana, is a market space full of stalls selling arts and crafts. Mohammed mainly exports his artworks to every part of the world except Australia. Below are some of his beautifully crafted handiworks.
Mohammed Abubakari Ayolgo-0246134191
