Legendary photojournalist James Barnor unveiled a lineup of activities to celebrate his 95th birthday on June 6, 2024.
Dubbed James Barnor 95 Festival, the organisers at a press conference held on May 31, 2024 at the Ghana Club, unveiled a month-long activities to commemorate the special occasion.
The event aims to celebrate the cultural heritage and artistic innovation of the legendary photographer. It also intends to pay homage to the iconic photographer for a long-term impact on the Ghanaian arts and culture scene.
Speaking at the event, James Barnor disclosed that the events lined up to mark his special day are a dream come through.
“For many years I have always planned to echo my works but it never came to light. I’m happy that today that dream has come through for me.” Mr. James Barnor said
The packed programme of events includes exhibitions, screenings and concerts to celebrate the most famous photographer and first photojournalist of Daily Graphic on this momentous occasion.
The activities line up are as follows; Exhibition Opening: James Barnor, A Retrospective, Myx Quest Collection of James Barnor Photographs, Projection of Documentaries on James Barnor, Photojournalism Workshop at e-Ananse, James Barnor: On the Road Red Clay, Savannah Centre for Contemporary Art and Someone Somewhere Beyond: Photo Reportage from the 16 Regions of Ghana.
Other activities are James Barnor: A Life Through Personal Artifacts & Memorabilia, Vanishing Past: A Community Archiving Workshop, Publication of James Barnor at 95 Anthology, LOATAD and Concert & Performance: The Lipstick Queens & Friends at +233 Jazz Bar.
Who is James Barnor?
Born in Ghana in 1929, James Barnor opened his renowned Ever Young studio in Accra, where he immortalized
our nation at the moment of its independence. He was the first photojournalist to collaborate with The Daily Graphic, published in Ghana by London’s Daily Mirror Group.
In 1959, two years after Ghana’s independence, Barnor moved to London to deepen his technical knowledge of
the medium.
He discovered colour photography at the Medway College of Art and his pictures were published on the cover of Drum, an important magazine founded in South Africa in 1951 and a symbol of the anti-apartheid movement. He eloquently captured the spirit of Swinging London and the experiences of the African diaspora in the British capital.
In the late 1960s, he was recruited by Agfa-Gevaert and returned to Ghana to set up the country’s first colour
laboratory.
He stayed there for the next twenty years, working in his new Studio X23 as a freelance photographer
and for state agencies in Accra. Today, Barnor lives in the United Kingdom.
Barnor’s work has recently given rise to numerous exhibitions and publications, including a touring retrospective
curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist, shown at the Serpentine in London in 2021, MASI Lugano, Switzerland, in 2022
and the Detroit Institute of Art, MI, USA in 2023. James Barnor: Stories, Pictures from the Archive (1947-1987),
curated by Matthieu Humery, opened at LUMA Arles, France in 2022, and was marked by the launch of the
James Barnor Prize, dedicated to African photographers. In October 2023, James Barnor, Studio of Life opened
at FOMU Antwerp, in Belgium. Coinciding with the photographer’s 95th birthday, the James Barnor 95 festival
will take place in Ghana from May 2024.
