PHD VIVA TOPIC: PRODUCING GOLDWEIGHTS THAT INTERPRET CONTEMPORAY PROVERBS IN GHANA

1. PHD VIVA TOPIC: PRODUCING GOLDWEIGHTS THAT INTERPRET CONTEMPORAY PROVERBS IN GHANA STEPHEN OKYERE-BOATENG

2. BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY • Goldweights. • Ghanaian proverb. • Cire-perduecasting process. • Gold dust and Nuggets as currency. • Trade & Commerce • Post War • Policies: Demonitisationof Gold dust ordinance / Weights and measures ordinance • (Garrard, 1980).

3. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM • Motivation • Massive sale of Goldweights • Loss of interest • Inability to mentor • Collapse of guild of metal casters • Loss of employment and livelihood • Gap (Decline of goldweight casting for about 4 decades) • One person, known to have collected goldweights after Ghana’s independence. • (Ayensu, 1997)

4. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM • Preliminary studies indicate that: • Akan goldweights were produced based on Ghanaian proverbs, folk stories and activities . • Creation of Ghanaian proverbs have been ascribed to Ghanaian forefathers. • The current cire-perduecasting has been done by the process that involves pouring of molten metal into moulds.

5. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM • The current study sought to address the gap by: • Creating contemporary proverbs to add up to the existing proverbs. • Producing goldweights to match the created contemporary proverbs. • Using the Asante technique of the cire-perduecasting process .

6. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY Identify indigenous and contemporary proverbs, and proverb creators in Ghana. Organise the identified proverb creators to compose contemporary proverbs.

7. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY 3. Use the Asante cire-perduetechnique in the goldweight production process. 4.Give interpretation to the proverbs produced in goldweights. 5. Evaluate the relevance of the goldweights to the proverbs.

8. RESEARCH QUESTIONS What constitutes indigenous and contemporary proverbs in Ghana and in what ways could Ghanaian proverb creators be identified? What is the practicability of using the proverb creators to compose contemporary proverbs?

9. RESEARCH QUESTIONS 3. What is the possibility of using the Asante cire-perdue technique in the production of goldweights from the contemporary proverbs? What visual interpretation could be derived from the proverbs produced in goldweights? 5. What impact does the relevance of the goldweights have on the proverbs?

10. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE Proverbs: The Ghanaian proverb is the expression of practical truth or wisdom (Ampem, 1998; Appiah & Appiah, 2000; & Kyeremateng, 2000). Goldweights: Goldweights are miniature models of major nouns in Ghanaian proverbs, themes of folk stories, and major events. They are made of copper, bronze, or brass by the cire-perduemethod of casting from wax models enclosed in clay. (Kyerematen, 1964; Arthur and Rowe, 2000, & Garrard,1980).

11. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE Cire-perdue: The cire-perdue method of goldweight casting involves melting and pouring of molten metal into a mould(Plass,1967; Adu-Akwaboah, 1994; & Fox, 1998). The Asante cire-perdue casting does not involve separate melting and pouring of molten metal. It rather entails the encasing of both the mould and crucible containing pieces of metal to be used in the casting such that the molten metal runs through a sprue to fill the cavity. (Gidal, 1971 & Phillips, 2010).

12. METHODOLOGY • RESEARCH APPROACH : Qualitative (Artistic). • RESEARCH DESIGN: (Studio Based) Descriptive and Exploratory. • STUDY AREA: Ayeduase, Appiadu, Bantama, Dwease, Deduako, Kwamo, and Kurofofrom. • SAMPLING TECHNIQUES: Purposive, and Snowball. sampling

13. METHODOLOGY • POPULATION: Proverb creators, traditional leaders, metal casters, Art educators, and students in Asante. • SAMPLE SIZE: 30. • DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENTS: Interviews, FGD, Field note taking, and photography. • METHOD OF DATA ANALYSIS: Thematic analysis.

14. METHODOLOGY Proverbs = 216 Field Work = 124 English = 77 Researcher = 15 FGD = 2 Creators, 3 Elders, 2 FAs. (5 Major times).

15. METHODOLGY FIG. 1: Creation of contemporary proverbs. (Field work (2016).

16. METHODOLOGY A B C Fig. 2: Selected proverbial goldweights. (Okyere-Boateng (2016).

17. PRODUCTION PROCESSES Fig. 6: A flow diagram used the casting process. Field work (2016)

18. PRODUCTION PROCESSES C: Researcher making wax models. B: Researcher heating wax in warm water. A: Bees wax. Fig. 3: The modelling process Field work (2016).

19. PRODUCTION PROCESSES B: Wax model of microphone. A: Wax model of computer mouse. C: Slurry for coating. Fig. 4: Wax models and slurry. Field work (2016).

20. PRODUCTION PROCESSES C: Pieces of brass in crucible A: Coated wax models D: Crucible turned over onto a mould B: Researcher dewaxing a mould Fig. 5: Coating, de-waxing, loading, embedding. Field work (2016).

21. PRODUCTION PROCESSES D: Cast microphone. C: Cast computer mouse. A: Firing. B: Researcher breaking moulds to retrieve casting. Fig. 5: Firing, breaking mould, and castings. Field work (2016).

22. CAST OBJECTS C: Microphone. A: Modem. D: Microscope. B: Waste bin. • Fig. 9: Selected contemporary goldweights. • Studio work (2016)

23. CAST OBJECTS A: Water heater. B: Pencil. C: Boxing gloves. Fig. 10: Selected contemporary goldweights. Studio work (2016).

24. FINDINGS • RQ 1: Looked at what constitutes indigenous and contemporary proverbs in Ghana and the ways by which proverb creators could be identified • Acceptable statement in everyday spoken language, containing wisdom, conveying messages, simplify long complex statements. • Composers could be identified through Traditional Chiefs, radio programmes on proverb-saying competitions, community elders and family heads, public speaking, and research activities. • While existing proverbs are based on natural objects and events from antiquity contemporary - based on contemporary items and lifestyles.

25. FINDINGS RQ 2: Looked at the practicability of using the proverb creators to compose contemporary proverbs. Based on the functions and uses of the contemporary items identified, it became possible for the creation of the proverbsand after relating them with indigenous proverbs during the FGD, they were confirmed and accepted as contemporary proverbs.

26. FINDINGS • RQ 3: Looked at the possibility of using the Asante cire-perdue technique in the production of goldweights from the contemporary proverbs. • The popular cire-perdue metal casting involves pouring of molten brass, the Asante technique - brass flowing into a closed mould. • The Asante technique introduced to master craftsmen, was employed using the equation: b = msg. • The weight of brass is equal to the weight of its wax model that is multiplied by the specific gravity of brass which is 8.5. (Sarpong, 1998).

27. FINDINGS • RQ 4: Looked at the visual interpretation that could be derived from the proverbs produced in goldweights. • The visual interpretation derived from the contemporary proverbs are identified in many Visual Art disciplines including: • Ceramics (sculpture, motifs). • Metal works (motifs, engraving, etching). • Wood works (sculpture: relief, intaglio). • Textile and fashion designing (motifs, embroidery). • Leather works (motifs).

28. FINDINGS • RQ 5: Looked at the impact the relevance of the goldweights have on the contemporary proverbs. • Meaning - Reflection of the main nouns in the proverbs. • Relevance - Historical record keeping, documentation of important events, repository of Asante knowledge on wisdom in proverbs, and acceptance of oral tradition as a source of documented history in Ghana. • – Beautifulcire-perduepieces.

29. CONCLUSIONS Creation of Ghanaian proverbs is not a reserve of Ghanaian forefathers, it could be ascribed to contemporary Ghanaians as well and could be dated. The created Ghanaian contemporary proverbs would be useful alongside the existing Ghanaian proverbs in the Ghanaian oral literature.

30. CONCLUSIONS 3. The two metal casting processes are practically good but using the Asante technique is faster and unique. 4. Visual interpretation from other art disciplines could be derived from proverbs .

31. CONCLUSIONS 5. The visual representation to the proverbs is a good form of record keeping and cultural preservation.

32. RECOMMENDATIONS The search for more proverb creators must continue and dating of contemporary proverbsand names of creators must be on record. 2. More contemporary items and events should be identified to enhance creation of new contemporary proverbs.

33. RECOMMENDATIONS 3. Goldweight casters are encouraged to adopt the Asante technique of the cire-perdue casting to enhance diffusion of the technique, and sustainability of such a local initiative or resource. 4. Silhouettes of the contemporary goldweights should be developed as motifs and symbols for textile and fabric designing as well as symbols to add up to the already existing traditional symbols in Ghana. 5. More contemporary goldweights should be made to add to the contemporary goldweights from this study for cultural preservation.

34. IMPLICATIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH Relating contemporary proverbs in this study to classical Ghanaian proverbs. 2. Production of goldweights depicting contemporary proverbs based on newly identified contemporary items, events, innovations, and technologies that are yet to come. Researchers, teachers, and students in creative arts are encouraged to take part in this exercise.