Don't Call Me Beautiful Exhibition to be held in Accra Ghana Feb 3rd, by renewed Photographer Nana Kofi Acquah

"Don’t Call Me Beautiful” is an exhibition that celebrates the African woman’s resilience. These images are a true account of all that life throws at her, and most importantly, how how she gracefully braces herself and handles them.

The reason why the African Woman requires special attention is because the mountains she has to climb over are huge. In art and culture, she is presented as this prehistoric survival with scarifications and bare breasts, a glorified beast of burden or a breeding machine; with some load on her head, a baby tied to her back, and a train of children following her. In the news, she’s presented as a victim of rape or war, a wandering refugee and everything negative; and most of these images are not necessarily untrue.
These prevalent images will do damage to anybody’s sense of self-worth.
What I try to do with my work, is to admire, celebrate and enjoy the African Woman without objectifying her. When the dominant imagery of the African woman changes, the world’s perception of her will change
In a culture that actively dismisses the exploits, successes and struggles of women, a conversation needs to be had.

Photo by Nana Kofi Acquah 

I was in Liberia shortly after the war. I saw a country led by a woman, supported by mainly women, rising from the ashes.
These women had been left to deal with the dying embers of the unruly wrath and carnage caused by arrogant, headstrong men.

I have had the privilege of photographing the African woman for years. I have been a witness to her struggles, her dreams, her fears and her achievements.  These photographs, celebrate her resilience. It is hard to be stretched this much and not break. For how long can a tree sway in the storm and not break? And yet, she stands- in spite of it all. After it all.

These photographs are the documents of a witness, spanning almost ten years, they capture the everyday lives of African women.

In here, we have photos of women living with HIV\AIDS, the first

woman to be elected president of an African country, a 9 year old rape victim, who together with her family are seeking

both justice and redress, and countless other stories- of pain and fame and resilience. 

These documents are evidence of the fact that the woman is strong, determined, intelligent, driven, passionate, empowered,

fearless, witty, and a whole lot more than just beautiful.

Photo by Nana Kofi Acquah