Background information
Of all the places Paul STRAND worked - New England, France, Italy, the Hebrides, Romania, Egypt, Morocco - his photographs from Ghana in 1963 and 1964, which resulted in the photo volume 'Ghana. An African Portrait', count to his most comprehensive travel work. That's partly because he felt welcome there. He has officially been invited to document the country by its first prime minister and president, Kwame Nkrumah. He was given a guide and a driver to accompany him and his wife Hazel through Ghana’s diverse landscapes, easing his access to situations that might have otherwise been difficult to broach.With its recent independence from colonial rule, Ghana was an ideal location for documentation. Things were changing quickly there, and the American photographer was interested in Nkrumah’s efforts to modernize the country through industry and economic initiatives.