The Rebel

In the late 1980s, the video format became widely available in cinemas. Eager would-be filmmakers started experimenting with home video equipment in making commercial movies. The salon and barbering signages were advertisement materials for the films and belong to the vibrant visual pop-culture in Ghana, a genre that includes tro-tro signages and decorative paintings on shop fronts, and kiosks.
The text on the signages sometimes lift from Street Philosophy. They come from Dr. Joseph Oduro-Frimpong’s collection and were presented in an exhibition titled Suɔmɔ Hi Fe Shika (2021), a Ga language phrase that translates as Love is better than Money, at the Nubuke Foundation.
In the photograph above is a handpainted poster of the 2007 action film ‘The Rebel.’ The film directed by Charlie Nguyen starred co-writer Johnny Tri Nguyen, Dustin Nguyen and Veronica Ngo.