The Colour of Plantain

Africa is known for its bold, unapologetic use of colour. Stories are told in pigments, tones and hues; a kaleidoscope as diverse as the cultures and peoples of the continent. For the initiative Colours of Africa, a collaborative project with Google Arts & Culture, we asked 60 African creatives to capture the unique spirit of their country in a colour which represents home to them.

The projects they have created are personal and distinct stories of Africa, put into images, videos, texts and illustrations. Each artist has also attempted to articulate what being African means to their identity and view of the world.

Colour:The Colour of Plantain
Country:Ghana

Artwork Rationale:

The Colour of Plantain
Servings: 1957
Source: Selassie Atadika, Accra, Ghana

Ingredients: Plantain
Directions:

Green
Boiled. Ampesi.
Mashed. Eto.
Pounded. Fufu.
Fried. Chips.
Roasted.

Yellow
Boil.
Fried. Kelewele.
Roasted. Kofi Brokeman.

Red
Fried.

Black
Roasted.
Pounded. Tatale. Kaklo. Kakro. Ofam. Steamed. Apitsi.

Notes:
The different characters that plantain takes in every stage of its life cycle are wondrous. Sweet, savoury, boiled, steamed, fried, roasted, ripe, unripe, overripe. Beyond the plantain flesh, the skin is used for feed and traditional black soap, while the leaves are used in the kitchen to steam and wrap food such as kenkey. Finally, let's not forget that these leaves are integral to the first layer of flavour in the development of chocolate, cocoa fermentation on Ghanaian farms.