Murals Project

The CAHP Community Mural Project is a place-making project between the Christiansborg Archaeological Heritage Project, artists, and residents in Osu to collectively reimagine and invent their public spaces. The project advances community revitalization from the ground up.

A mural is not simply a wall painting or pictures on the wall. An art form in its own right, mural making adopts a democratic and egalitarian concept of art. Muralism is an art practice that connects the community with their histories and stories.

Our ‘city canvasses’ are powerful images that illustrate community historical and cultural knowledge. As ‘people’s art’, the murals possess artistic richness and social significance. Histories painted on walls are public art that educate, build, and re-energize the community, transforming urban space. The CAHP murals reinforce a sense of community identity, and wellbeing.

As an intergenerational, collaborative, and creative heritage project, children and adults, young and old, paint large, vibrant murals to commemorate and celebrate Osu’s unique heritage. The CAHP brings art from museums and galleries out into the streets of Osu.

Historic Houses

Artists create large-scale murals on the walls of historic houses that date back to the 18th Century. Today, most of these houses are occupied as family houses. Some are vacant. Many have deteriorated.

Artists collaborate with residents, especially elders, to collect the histories of these sites – through oral histories, photographs, and objects that have belonged to families for several generations – to design the artwork. The CAHP historic murals reflect the ‘hidden’ histories of these houses, and the contributions of the celebrated personalities that lived within them.

“I have been walking past this house every day for the past twenty years, I did not know that this was the house of twins who made such a useful contribution to the community.”
Aunty Naa

“The CAHP mural project has reconnected us with over 40 members of our family that we did not know. We want our mural to stay forever. Thank you CAHP!”
Mr. Reindorf

Osu families have stories that may, or may not be part of public, official history. Nevertheless, they are important to understanding the history of Ghana.

An extensive mural was painted on aluminium sheets that fenced off a de-commissioned petrol station, depicting the history of Christiansborg Castle. The mural tells the story of the role of the Castle during the Danish transatlantic slave trade, British colonial rule, and newly independent Ghana.

Children’s Historic Osu

Children participate in free classes (with local artists), as an extension of the CAHP after-school and weekend program, to create murals. They create large-scale murals that depict their historical fishing and seaside community, and the ongoing archaeological excavations at Christiansborg Castle.

“This is my Aunty’s chop bar. This man is grilling fish because I like Tilapia. These small fish here are Keta school boys.”
Robert aka ‘Big Man’, age 7

“I painted flowerpots because in the olden days people had pots. The archaeologists dig broken pots out of the ground.”
Ama, age 11

The Artists

Desmond Nii Kortey Botchway

Desmond Nii Kortey Botchway

Ed Franklin Gavua

Ed Franklin
Gavua

Emmanuel Larbi

Emmanuel
Larbi

Enoch Nii-Adjei Laryea

Enoch Nii-Adjei
Laryea

Erasmus Anyetei Odoi (Nii Anyetei Ras)

Erasmus Anyetei
Odoi

Ernest Boafo

Ernest
Boafo

Joseph Aboagye

Joseph
Aboagye

Julius Tetteh Nartey

Julius Tetteh
Nartey

Kingsley Kofi Deffor (Deff)

Kingsley Kofi
Deffor (Deff)

Michael Ofoe MacCarthy

Michael Ofoe
MacCarthy

Nmaju Daniel Ude (Dharnie)

Nmaju Daniel
Ude (Dharnie)

Samuel Mensah

Samuel
Mensah

Thank You To Our Supporters

Stanford University
French Embassy Ghana
Mellon Foundation
Wenner-Gren Foundation
Joukowsky Family Foundation
The British High Commission Accra
Danish Maritime Museum
Danish National Archives
The British National Archives
The Whiting Foundation
Rapaport Foundation
Egality Law Ghana
Shell supporting Christiansborg Archaeological Heritage Project
Total Energies supporting Christiansborg Archaeological Heritage Project