Right Hand Only, set in Ghana, West Africa is an exploration of you and I, experienced through the collective consciousness. The title “Right Hand Only” is a play on the cultural norms in Ghana. For most actions in Ghanaian society: eating, waving, writing, etc., it is forbidden to use your left hand.  

 

This series of images, entitled Kwaku, makes up the first part of Right Hand Only. Kwaku is the middle boy of the family with whom I lived during my time in Obuasi, Ghana. This series captures life through his eyes and many of these images were taken with Kwaku during our walks after school. The future series will capture life through the eyes of another one of the children with whom I lived and consider family. 

 

“Kwaku”

Hello. I am Kwaku. I’m called Kwaku because I was born on a Wednesday.  In Ghana, everyone has a birth name given to them by their parents and another name that is determined by the day of the week on which you were born.  You are Yaw, because you were born on a Thursday.

I am twelve years old.  I am from Obuasi. Obausi is a city in Ghana and Obuasi is in the Ashanti region of Ghana.  We are the ancestors of a royal lineage, the Asante. Ghana even means “Warrior King.” Ghana is more home than you probably think. Today, people focus so much on the potential pinch from the thorn that they forget the beauty of the rose.  I want the world to know that we are no different. We are not “other.” We have neighbors just like you do. When one house cooks we all eat. This is just how it is. We work, we study, we dance, we play, we cry, we cook, we eat, we struggle, we worry, we rest, we wonder, we laugh, we hope.