THE ART of ALMIGHTY GOD - Specialized Research AI at MIT

THE ART of ALMIGHTY GOD
in HIS OWN WORDS

Doran H. Ross

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K wame Akoto (Fig. 1) is the prolific master

painter, educator, chorister, evangelist, and
proprietor of Almighty God Art Works in the
Asante capital of Kumasi in central Ghana. He
was born of Asante parents Opanin Kwadwo
Appau and Madam Yaa Bema (Sarah Pippin)
on November 25, 1950. He completed elementary and middle
school in the city, showing an early interest in drawing even
before he started his formal education. Akoto has lived in this
large metropolitan city for virtually his whole life, although he
has traveled to Europe on several occasions. On many levels
he is one of the most celebrated contemporary artists in West
Africa. He appeared in the pages of African Arts as early as
1980, unidentifi ed along with three of his works, in 1978 pho-
tographs by Christine Kristen (1980:38–41) and since 1995 has
been included in at least thirty exhibitions of contemporary
African art outside of Ghana, including Italy, Poland, Nether-
lands, France, Denmark, Portugal, and the United States.1 He
has been the focus of two substantial catalogues (Mascelloni
and Ryan 2003, Marignoli et al. 2007) and has a signifi cant
presence in several others (Barlow et al. 2002, Falgayrettes-
Leveau 2003) in addition to a very thoughtful place in Rhoda
Woets’s exceptional dissertation (2011).2

Akoto signs his own and indeed all the studio’s paintings with
the block printed signature “Almighty God Art Works.” He is
generally addressed as “Almighty” by his friends and acquain-
tances. He runs an open air studio/workshop/training center (he
personally calls it his “shop”) just off the Suame roundabout, a
major junction in northern Kumasi near the center for car and
truck parts and repairs.3 With an initial focus on commercial
art, over the years the local patronage of his studio has commis-
sioned, among other staples:

•
•
•

Freestanding barber and hair salon signs
Signage on kiosks and other small businesses
Slogans and names on taxis, lorries, delivery vans, and
trucks

• Cloth banners for evangelical events
•
•
•

Silk-screened memorial T-shirts for funerals
Portraits on tin for grave monuments
Small white signs with a red “L” indicating a driver in
training (Learning)

Th ese “commercial arts” are called “sign writing” by Almighty
and by many other Ghanaians as well. Kirsten’s 1978 photograph
of Akoto was reproduced in the “Urban Arts” chapter of Susan
Vogel’s Africa Explores: 20th Century African Art, where he was
identifi ed simply as “A painter from Almighty God Art Works
…” (1991:126–27). In this chapter Vogel interrogates the cat-
egories for defi ning the works produced by artists like Kwame
Akoto. Aft er dismissing “popular,” and its connotations of “folk”
and “naive” (one could add “street” and its corollary “wayside”),
she argues for “urban” as a more inclusive and less derogatory
appellation. While he wasn’t one of the magicians in magiciens
de la terre (Martin 1989), he did make the cut in the Return of
the Magicians (Mascelloni and Sarenco, 1999:90–93). Other mis-
taken monikers for artists like Almighty include “untrained”
and its partner “self-taught,” both grotesquely in error for an
artist who spent six rigorous years (1966–1972) studying as an
apprentice for the master painters at Addai and Kobia Arts in the
Mbrom area of Kumasi before founding his own studio in 1972.
In addition to these labels, Almighty has also been referred to as
an “outsider” artist, and presumably not because he has an open
air studio. As for Akoto, he largely divides his work between
“sign writing” and “creativity art,” with a third unnamed cate-
gory somewhere in between that includes the enormous range of

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HOLY ENTERPRISES BUSINESS NAMES

GOD’S TIME IS BEST MOTORS
JESUS POWER INTL SCHOOL
OH MY GOD KEY SERVICES
GOD’S TIME WATCH REPAIRS
HOLYLAND PHOTO STUDIO
GOD’S GIFT RASTA HAIR DO
STILL SUFFICIENT GRACE ELECTRICALS
GOD IS ABLE COLD STORES
WISDOM FROM ABOVE SHOE CENTRE
THE LORD IS MY LIGHT LOTTO
GOD’S FAVOUR WIG AND COSMETICS
GOD IS ONE BATTERY CENTER
GOD OF WONDERS FURNITURE WORKS
GOD’S GLORY FOOD POINT
GOD BLESS ELECTRICALS
THE LORD COMMUNICATION CTR.
PRAISE THE LORD STORE
JESUS NEVER FAILS BUSINESS AND GRAPHICS
GOD’S WILL FASHION
GOD FIRST MACHINERY AND ELECTRICAL
THE HAND OF THE LORD BUSINESS CENTER
KING OF KINGS BARBERING
GOD’S GIFT HERBAL CENTER
CLAP FOR JESUS BOUTIQUE
GOD IS KING RADIATOR WORKS
JESUS CARES CAR AIR CONDITIONING
BY HIS GRACE COCA COLA
LET HEAVEN ANSWER TAXI
JESUS KEPT MY SOUL TIPPER
VICTORY IN JESUS FASHION
AROMA OF JESUS ENTERPRISES
BORN AGAIN TAXI
GOD’S LOVE AUTOMOTIVE
AMAZING GRACE CHOP BAR
HOLY DOVE BLOCK FACTORY
CHRIST THE KING HAIRSTYLE
JESUS FINGER FURNITURE
WELCOME TO ISRAEL GROOVY THEATRE
GOD IS KING BRAKES
JESUS NEVER FAILS MOTORS

HOLY SIGN PAINTERS

KING JESUS DESIGNS
GOSPEL ART STUDIO
ST. AUGUSTINE ART & SIGN
DIVINE LOVE ART CENTER
JESUS NEVER FAILS GRAPHICS
SHALOM ART
GENESIS ART WORKS
ST ANTHONY ART AND SIGN
MIRACLE ART
RIGHTEOUS ART
HEAVEN ART CENTRE

VOL. 47, NO. 2 SUMMER 2014 african arts | 9

1 Self portrait of Kwame Akoto (2004)
Pigment on plywood, 122 cm x 81 cm
Fowler Museum at UCLA, X2013.48.2
Photo: Don Cole

paintings copied from photographs in magazines, newspapers,
books, and photographs given to him for individual commis-
sions. Still, Almighty is rather fl uid with his own categories and
more oft en than not, “creativity art” includes virtually all work
not intended as advertising. In more recent years, however, he
has occasionally referred to some of his larger and more excep-
tional works as “fi ne art.” In addition, he has produced paintings
that he has actually labeled “unfi nished art,” “ancient art,” “naive
art,” and “spoilt art.” As for me, I am going out on a limb and
calling all his work “contemporary African art.”

Almighty’s “creativity art,” produced primarily for an interna-
tional clientele, covers an astonishing array of subjects, ranging
from Christian themes, celebrity portraits, and homages to Ghana
to visual/textual essays on world problems, death and mourning,
and visions of demons, the devil, and hell. Running across these
categories and many more is an enormous series of self-portraits
that are refl ections on himself and the human condition at large.

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ALMIGHTY GOD’S VISUAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY

1 (depicts Akoto and his two teachers). “When I was an apprentice under
my masters Mr. Kobia and Addai at Mbrom, Kumasi, I saw a girl who used to
pass at our workshop. Any time I told her I love her she didn’t mind me. A
fellow apprentice told me that if his brother comes to the workshop to visit
him I should tell him about the girl. When the brother came, a man called Koﬁ
Eshun, he said to me that there was no problem and that I should follow him.”
And elsewhere, “Don’t “Dream to Come Across a cobra.”

2 (with image of Akoto, egg, paper, and St. Anthony).
“We bought one egg and two ofﬁ cial papers, at night
we went to Konaou Yiadom [at] School Park. Koﬁ
Eshun spoke some words on the egg which became a
boiled egg. I ate it, then he folded the ofﬁ cial paper,
spoke some words on it and red letters appeared on
the paper, After reading the words I became a slave
to St. Anthony and he named me Anthony.” Kwame
Akoto holds paper that reads “St. Anthony spirit world
SSSSSSSS the great messenger of God SSSSSSSS Sinful
World SSSSSSS I am the great St. Anthony I am who I
am. I am the great St. Anthony what is written is writ-
ten it can never be changed any more, Anyone who
will obey me will prosper in this world, I have helped
many people some are dead and some are alive. If you
disobey me I will kill you, I will guard you they cannot
kill you, I will guard you from any danger. As for the girl
you want no problem she will follow you like a dog.”

3 (image of Akoto between two girls). “St. Anthony
gave me Mammy Wata, as my spiritual wife but made
me a womaniser when he gives me order to ﬂ irt with
any girl who allows me. Sometimes he gives me order
to ﬂ irt with prostitutes.”

4 (interior image with Eshun sitting and Akoto stand-
ing). “The girl I loved followed me like a dog. When I
opened my workshop at Suame, Koﬁ Eshun brought
me a letter from Saint Anthony. The letter said that it
was my turn to ﬁ ght Satan with my money and to give
it all to Koﬁ Eshun—I did it for 22 years.”

5. (with image of Faustina and Kwame) “One day when
I was going home I met a girl at Ash. Town, by name
Faustina Appiah. I tried to seduce her but she rejected
me and told me to give my life to Jesus-Christ. Six
months later she came to my workshop in search of me
and took me to church.”

6 (image of Akoto reeling on the ground while pastor
prays to him in tongues). “On Friday 13th of December
1991 I went to prayer – during the prayers I suddenly
felt myself roll on the ground. I was sweating and
became very dirty. Later I vomitted the leaves that
Saint Anthony give me to chew 22 years ago! I was
freed by Jesus-Christ.”

7 (with image of the just-wedded couple). “Two years
after deliverance from the powers of darkness, Kwame
Akoto married Faustina Appiah.” “KWAME AKOTO
WEDS FAUSTINA APPIAH”

10 | african arts SUMMER 2014 VOL. 47, NO. 2

“DELIVERED FROM BEING A WOMANIZER”

2
(1992)
Pigment on plywood, 56.5 cm x 49.4 cm
Fowler Museum at UCLA, X95.45.32
Photo: Don Cole

Regardless of subject matter, Almighty rarely leaves the sign-
writing part of his profession behind, and painted text(s), oft en
extensive texts, may be found on most of his paintings. Th ese
oft en take a moralizing Christian trajectory, with written bibli-
cal quotations or references commonplace. A signifi cant number
capture the evangelical agenda of the House of Faith Ministries,
a church not far from his studio that he vigorously attends.

Th ere has been considerable misunderstanding over Kwame
Akoto’s naming his studio “Almighty God Art Works” and of
his occasional use of “Almighty” as a personal name. Some true
outsiders have considered this as an act of pretension and arro-
gance and others even as sacrilegious. But the inclusion of Chris-
tian religious references in business names in southern Ghana is
at the very least common place. While being driven by my friend
Samuel Adams around the southern half of Ghana since 1995, I
have recorded well over one thousand such names. A representa-
tive selection in no particular order from these lists is included in
the Holy Enterprises sidebar on p. 9 (not restricted to the Ashanti
Region), followed by a shorter list specifi c to sign painters.

Given the attraction of various Christian phrases, there is a lot
of redundancy in business names. Th is becomes a point of con-
tention when the businesses are in relatively close proximity. In
a painting discussed in the Self Portrait section below, Almighty
recounts in the top and bottom frames the genesis of his own
shop’s name founded in 1972 (Fig. 18):

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3 Self portrait with Jesus (2004)
Pigment on plywood, 122 cm x 81 cm
Fowler Museum at UCLA, X2011.30.8
Photo: Don Cole

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“Oh! Eve Why?” (2002)

4
Pigment on canvas, 70 cm x 96 cm
Collection of Betsy D. Quick
Photo: Doran H. Ross

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Many years ago my name was Anthony Akoto but now I have elimi-
nated the Anthony, before I wrote Anthony art works in front of my
w/shop. An artist by name King Anthony art works was the fi rst art-
ist at Suame Matias Jun. Th e artist walked to my Shop and told me to
change Anthony Art works, because he was the fi rst artist to be at that
area. So I wrote Almighty God Art. Later he also changed his Shop
name to Mighty Jehovah Art wks.4

Due to Almighty’s popularity and success, and much to his
annoyance, a workshop in Techiman, a city north of Kumasi,
changed its name to Almighty God Arts Centre in 2002.

FAUSTINA AND A NEW FAITH
Kwame Akoto has said many times to many people, and has
documented in many paintings, that the two most important
events and joint turning points in his life are his conversion to
Christianity on December 13, 1991, and his marriage to Faustina
in 1993. A necessary prerequisite to that marriage was his being
born again as an Evangelical Christian. Th is story, which he calls
“My Story,” was articulated in a series of seven 4′ x 8′ paintings
on plywood created in 1994 at the behest of Th ierry Secretan,
who encouraged Almighty to add more “originality” and “per-
sonal vision” to his art. In my fi rst visit to the studio in 1995, I

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(clockwise from top left)
5 Almighty painting the presidents of Ghana overseen by his painting of the
Hindu deity Hanuman
Photo: Christine Kristen, 1978

6 Group of portraits at Almighty’s studio
Photo: Christine Kristen, 1978

7 Beauty salon sign near Wenchi market
Photo: Doran H. Ross, 1976

8 Kente billboard in Ntonso
Photo: Doran H. Ross, 1976

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“OH! GOD BLESS OUR KINGS” (2000)

9
Pigment on plywood, 118.5 cm x 68.5 cm
Fowler Museum at UCLA X2003.23.1
Photo: Don Cole

10 “Michael Jackson” (2013)
Pigment on plywood, 122 cm x 60 cm
Ernie Wolfe Gallery
Photo: Alan Shaffer

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was not permitted to photograph the paintings, but I did record
the extensive text on them (Almighty God’s Visual Autobiogra-
phy sidebar on p. 10). He repeated this autobiography in another,
smaller set of seven paintings in 2000 with very much the same
images and texts. Th ese were collectively shown at three venues
in the Netherlands that year and the next.

According to Almighty, in 1993 aft er his marriage to Faus-
tina, Th ierry Secretan, the photographer and author of Going
into Darkness: Fantastic Coffi ns from Africa (1995, French edi-
tion 1994), was the instigator for this series and simultaneously
the catalyst for encouraging him to branch out beyond the more
conventional sign writing that had been the staple of his work-

shop. In particular he encouraged more narrative paintings
about larger social issues and autobiographical self-portraits
such as the above suite of paintings.

One of the earliest if not the earliest painting by Almighty docu-
menting his transformation is a 1992 self-portrait with a woman’s
head emerging from his own forehead (Fig. 2). At the bottom of
the painting is “DELIVERED FROM BEING WOMANIZER” and
the phrases encircling the head include, clockwise from the lower
left: “JESUS LOVES U TOO MUCH” / “REPENT!” / “ONCE
A WOMANIZER” / “SEARCH FOR GOD.” / “SAKRA WAD-
WENE” / “SEARCH FOR HEAVEN!” / “I’M BORN AGAIN”.
“Sakra Wadwene.”5 Two later self portraits expand on his encoun-

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11 “PRESIDENT BARRACK OBAMA” (2009)
Pigment on plywood, 81 cm x 59.5 cm
Ernie Wolfe Gallery
Photo: Alan Shaffer

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ters with Christianity. One depicts Akoto being blessed by Jesus
with the Devil behind him (Fig. 3) with the text, “THE ART-
IST KWAME AKOTO (ALMIGHTY ART) RESCUED BY HIS
LORD.” Th e second shows Almighty with Eve eating an apple with
the artist asking “Oh! Eve Why? Exclaimed!! Kwame Akoto of the
Almighty God Art works” (Fig. 4).

Kwame Akoto’s conversion to a charismatic Christian church
is, of course, only a small part of a much larger story about
the expansion of evangelical/Pentecostal initiatives among the
Christians of southern Ghana. Th is has been the source of exten-
sive scholarship over the years, ranging from the scholarly to the
proselytizing. While a detailed examination of these infl uences
is beyond the scope of this paper, to say that Almighty goes to
church “religiously” is to understate the case. He goes to choir
practice once a week and never misses a Sunday service, at which
he takes notes of each biblical passage cited during the program
and revisits them when he returns to his studio and home. Th ese
subsequently stimulate and inform new works of art.

Perhaps 70 percent of Almighty’s paintings have some form
of text. In many ways his paintings speak for themselves as if
in a conversation with the viewer or maybe more accurately a
monologue to the viewer. Oft en text-heavy, they quote scripture,
address world problems, comment on his own life, and identify
individuals portrayed in the works. In the UCLA publication
Th e Arts of Ghana (Cole and Ross 1977:9–12) Herbert M. Cole
coined the phrase “the verbal-visual nexus” in relation to the
almost ever-present relationship of the spoken word to the visual
arts. Proverbs, folktales, and oral histories (among many other
categories of conventionalized verbal accounts) are the subject
matter of most Asante/Akan arts. For better or worse, as literacy
was inserted into Akan culture, the oral was oft en converted into
the written word. And the written word is at least as important
in Almighty’s art as the painted images: “You need to read to
understand my art.” Th e role of written texts in global contem-
porary arts has been a subject of interest for many years now. For
Africa, various manifestations of surrounding issues were the

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12 Kwame Akoto brushing his teeth (2000)
Pigment on plywood, 122 cm x 61 cm
Fowler Museum at UCLA X2011.30.5
Photo: Don Cole

13 “Kwame Akoto of Almighty God Art Work
is Now Father Christmas” (2005)
Pigment on Plywood, 105.5 cm x 81 cm
Fowler Museum at UCLA X2013.48.3
Photo: Doran H. Ross

focus of the exhibition and publication Inscribing Meaning: Writ-
ing and Graphic Systems in African Art (Kreamer et al. 2007).6

PORTRAITS, SELF PORTRAITS, AND SELF REFLECTIONS
Two of the key components in the formal education of “appren-
tices” at Kumasi studios are training in a wide variety of letter-
ing styles and developing the nuances of color selection, shading,
and the selection of key details that go into the art of portraiture.
In Kirsten’s 1978 photographs, Akoto had clearly achieved a fi rm
grasp of portraiture in his representations of the early leaders of
Ghana and such international fi gures as John F. Kennedy, Bob
Marley, Mobuto Sese Seko, and Jesus Christ, the latter well before
Akoto’s being reborn (Figs. 5–6). Commenting on his works in the

studio in 1978 (when he was twenty-eight) and of her nine slides of
those works, Kristen wrote, “I fi nd him to be highly skilled at por-
traiture with a bold and clean style” (1980:38). Th e importance of
portrait skills in commercial signs is clear from two early substan-
tial signs for a hair salon and a kente store, both photographed in
1976, four years aft er he founded his own studio (Figs. 7–8). To sell
the skills of hairdressers and barbers, convincing portraits with
carefully articulated coiff ures are especially important. To sell the
skills of artists, convincing portraits are also necessary to advertise
their abilities.

Portraits of local and international celebrities remain to this
day a staple in both Almighty’s work and in the training of his
students/apprentices. Otumfuo Asantehene Osei Tutu II and

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his immediate predecessors have been painted perhaps twenty
times (Fig. 9) and Pope John Paul II and Queen Elizabeth II exist
in multiple iterations. And in 2013 he was still painting Michael
Jackson framed top and bottom with “If I Were To Come To Th e
World Again, I Would Have Become a Pastor” (Fig. 10). Th e elec-
tion of Barack Obama as President of the United States in 2008
and his visit to coastal Ghana with his family in July 10–11, 2009,
led to an extended series of paintings, including several with
Obama wearing kente cloth and a chiefl y bandolier and crown
(Fig. 11; see also Cosentino 2009:6 with an Obama quotation on
the bottom frame: “We don’t want to be feared in the world, we
want to be respected”).

As suggested in the self portrait “DELIVERED FROM BEING
WOMANIZER” discussed above (Fig. 2), self portraiture plays a
signifi cant role in defi ning Almighty’s status as a Christian and
in his declarations of being born again. In addition, these paint-
ings serve as an ongoing exercise in Akoto’s thinking about his
own place on the planet and what he can do to improve him-
self and those around him. Th is is a favorite painting subject of
Almighty, whether the ostensible subject of the painting is gar-
bage, food, Christmas, death and mourning, or teeth brushing,
hair cutting, shampooing, or shaving. It would be easy to attri-
bute these to a vaguely defi ned ego-driven impulse, and some
of that may come into play here, but I see this as more of the
direct opposite—rather humble statements using himself as an
example for addressing key issues confronting the human condi-
tion, both considerable and inconsequential. Although I may be
unaware of this genre, I know of very few artists (actually none)
who have chosen to do a self portrait of themselves brushing
their teeth (Fig. 12). In his own words Akoto says, “Th ese are all
my problems too.”

Almighty’s self portraits range from the whimsical to the pro-
foundly serious. On the lighter side is “KWAME AKOTO OF

16 | african arts SUMMER 2014 VOL. 47, NO. 2

14 “THE TALK OF THE WOMAN” (2012)
Pigment on plywood, 61 cm x 60.5 cm
Collection of the author
Photo: Doran H. Ross

15 “THE TALK OF THE WOMAN” (2011)
Pigment on plywood, 42 cm x 40 cm
Collection of Allen Roberts and Mary Nooter Roberts
Photo: Polly Nooter Roberts

ALMIGHTY GOD ART WORKS IS NOW FATHER CHRIST-
MAS” (Fig. 13). Of course, Father Christmas is presumably a
Christian and an easy persona for Akoto to embrace. Perhaps
at the opposite end of the spectrum is the very carefully real-
ized self portrait of Akoto in mourning dress “At the funeral of
my brother Kwadwo Apau” (Fig. 1). On the top and bottom of
the frame for this painting is “DEATH / IS INEVITABLE BUT
THERE IS LIFE AFTER DEATH,” and on the painting proper,
“Satan has worried Human Race but there is a remedy JESUS
CHRIST, He says He has the keys of hell and death. Rev. 1:18.”

As part of the painting process, Akoto frequently includes
textual commentaries on the process itself. Many self-portraits
mention that he painted them while looking into a mirror. Th at
explains why in those where he is wearing a wrapped cloth, the
textile covers the right shoulder and exposes the left rather than
the absolutely required opposite (see Marignoli 2007:63, 77).
Th is in fact is the subject of a text on at least one self portrait,
where he writes,

I looked through the mirror and drew myself. Many People ask why
did I wear the cloth on my right shoulder, because according to
Ashanti or Akan Customs Cloths are worn on the left shoulders. But I
tell them it is true. But I looked through the mirror to draw it and this
is exactly what I saw.

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16 “Oh! ALMIGHTY GOD ART WORKS” (2011)
Pigment on plywood, 61 cm x 39.5 cm
Collection of the author
Photo: Doran H. Ross

17 “I want to be at a gallery abroad” (2011)
Pigment on plywood, 60.5 cm x 63.5 cm
Collection of the author
Photo: Doran H. Ross

Another commentary on process is found on a portrait that osten-
sibly includes two of his daughters “BEATRICE AMPOOMAH
and MARY AKYAA,” as stated at the top of the painting, although
the image is actually a profi le of a single individual. Th e text at
the bottom of the painting explains, “Beatrice my little daughter
Posed for me to draw her but she could not be steady. So my sec-
ond daughter was called to pose to make it whole.”

Th e notion of paintings explaining themselves, or rather the
artist explaining his own paintings, is an ongoing reality in
Almighty’s work. And the question of when a work is really fi n-
ished is a recurring interest of Akoto’s. A painting of the Asante
Golden Stool seen in his studio in 2012 is inscribed, “Although
the painting says fi nish me, it is fi nished.” Aft er asking Akoto
when a painting is actually fi nished, he responded quite simply,
“when it is sold.” An earlier work of a bearded, bald, and crying
white man is inscribed with: “Almighty God Art Works Oh! Oh!!
Kwame Akoto Why have You Stoped Painting Me. Since You
Stoped Painting Me, you have Completed Two hundred Paint-
ings. I Th ink Is Sin. Please Complete painting me. WHY” Th e
idea that the subject of a painting can converse with the artist in
the abstract, i.e. out of body, speaks volumes about the dialogue
between an artist and his/her “canvas.”

One series of paintings that includes both self-portraits and
images of others typically features a text that begins with, “I thank
God for not being born a [whatever].” Perhaps Almighty’s favor-
ite maxim here is “I thank God I was not born a plantain” (Figs.
14–15), but there are numerous variations including, “Thank
God I was not born a termite hill.”7 One work in this vein has
the top half of a frontal face (hair, forehead, and eyes) as a self-
portrait of Akoto and the bottom half (nose, mouth, and chin) of
a tiger. Th e text reads, “Th e Artist Kwame Akoto (Almighty God
Art Works). I Th ank God for being born a human being not a
tiger.” A vertically split face of Akoto on the left and an elephant’s
head on the right has a similar inscription. In the same vein, but
reversing the thrust and decidedly not a self portrait, is an image
of a crying chimpanzee lamenting, “Oh!, I wish if you have cre-
ated me a human being. Children tease me and say Look at its
nose, eyes, mouth & ears, it’s like a human being. But the face is
too ugly. and the ears too are oversize.”

Also in the category of the self-portrait is another series of
paintings that feature his own image, in part or whole, while he
refl ects on the process of creativity, the nature of paint, the act
of painting, and the selling of his art. At least two of these are
considerations of the paint palette itself. One is an actual palette

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18 “My God I don’t want to be a Hypocrite” (2011)
Pigment on canvas, 147.5 cm x 106.5 cm
Newark Museum 2012.47.8
Photo: Andrea Hagy

19 Back of Figure 18

20 “PORTRAIT OF KWAME AKOTO” (2010)
Pigment on plywood, 122 cm x 81 cm
Collection of the author
Photo: Doran H. Ross

with a massive build-up of paint on both sides (Fig. 16) to the
extent that the weight of the object (eighteen pounds) becomes
part of the subject of the painting. “Oh! ALMIGHTY GOD ART
WORKS KWAME AKOTO What have I done to you Please
don’t add more Paint unto me. I now weigh 18-lbs.” Th en around
his self-portrait on the bottom right are the words: “WILL I
DIE? Wood have spoken to me.” Th e other palette painting is
a more conceptual rendering of this vital, oft en contemplative
tool, where Akoto’s face is surrounded by carefully considered
smears of mixed colors (Fig. 17). In this case the text on the top
and bottom of the painting are the voice of the palette/painting
itself: “I want to be at a gallery abroad, I dislike been a Palette,
Oh! Kwame Akoto. But I believe one day an art lover will take
me to gallery I will appear in books.” In an attempt to ease this
painting’s angst, if not Almighty’s, I have acquired this work as a
promised gift to the Fowler Museum at UCLA.

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21 “CALL GOD TO HELP YOU” (2002)
Pigment on plywood, 37.5 cm x 50 cm
Collection of the author
Photo: Doran H. Ross

22 “World Problems” (2002)
Pigment on plywood, 61 cm x 122 cm
Collection of the author
Photo: Doran H. Ross

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23 “MY GOSSIP HAVE REACHED THE CLOUDS”
(before 2005)
Pigment on plywood, 111.5 cm x 80 cm
Ernie Wolfe Gallery
Photo: Alan Shaffer

24 “GOSSIPER WILL SUFFER” (before 2006)
Pigment on plywood, 59.5 cm x 119.5 cm
Ernie Wolfe Gallery
Photo: Alan Shaffer

A third example of his contemplation of the proper-
ties and potential of paint is a two-sided canvas now in
the Newark Museum (Figs. 18–19).8 On what is osten-
sibly the front is a double portrait of Almighty. Th e
actual head of the individual features Akoto smiling,
while a second head positioned as his heart fi nds the
artist frowning. Th e text on this side is another self-
refl ection: “My God I don’t want to be a Hypocrite, I
don’t want to go berserk. Bitterness in the heart, joy on
the face, no, no.” When talking about this painting he
added, “Everyone struggles between face and heart.”
Th e back of this canvas began as another painting with
a “background of acrylic, designed to be thick.” He
went on to say, “When I saw it was nice I put colors. It
was God who helped to get me this design.” Again, the
not-so-simple manipulation of paint is the satisfaction.
Th e physicality of paint and its build-up is some-
thing of a preoccupation with Almighty. A self-por-
trait from 2010 features fairly substantial, multilayered
(as much as 1/8 inch) paint chips carefully positioned
and adhered to the surface and then painted over (Fig.
20). At first glance this creates a rather unnerving
image, with many casual viewers interpreting the face

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25 “GARBAGE Will it Bury Us” (before 2006)
Pigment on plywood, 122 cm x 59.5 cm
Ernie Wolfe Gallery
Photo: Alan Shaffer

26 “A FISHERMAN AT WORK IN LAKE
CHAD” (2011)
Pigment on plywood, 61 cm x 108 cm
Newark Museum 2012.47.12
Photo: Andrea Hagy

as having a serious skin condition (never mind that the black background
also has the paint chips). Akoto confi rms that the paint chips represent a kind
of “affl iction” and relates it to biblical notions that to become a good Chris-
tian oft en involves some “pain and suff ering.” But he went on to say that this
did not have to do with issues of health, but rather the struggle to produce
original art. Th e text on the left and right sides of the frame acknowledges the
source of his talent: Left : “PORTRAIT OF KWAME AKOTO ALMIGHTY
GOD ART WORKS SUAME JUN. KSI.” Right: “CREATOR OF HEAVEN &
EARTH, THANK YOU FOR THE SPIRIT OF CREATIVITY.” Th e extensive
text on the top and bottom frames relate the story of the founding and nam-
ing of Kwame Akoto’s shop quoted above.

Paint chips persist in another, relatively small series of paintings that
Almighty calls “Sarah Pippin art” aft er his mother, who he also credits as a
very nurturing infl uence in his creative life. Admittedly “experimental,” one
of these works features over forty substantial paint chips, each with an abbre-
viated face painted on it and “speaking” short pithy maxims (Fig. 21). With
a header of “CALL GOD TO HELP YOU,” many of the chips speak about
God: “GOD IS ABLE”; “GOD IS MERCIFUL”; “GOD IS NOT MAN”; “WAIT
FOR GOD”; and “GOD’S TIME IS BEST.” Others voice admonitions such
as: “DON’T SPOIL ME”; “HAVE MERCY”; “DON’T ENVY”; and “DON’T
STAIN ME.” When talking about this assemblage Akoto said, “Th is is what
parents should say to their children.”

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27 “BLACK & WHITE ARE ONE” (2004)
At Almighty God Art Works
Photo: Doran H. Ross, 2006

28 ”Marriage Is Hotter Than Pepper” (2005)
Pigment on plywood, 65 cm x 62 cm
Collection of the author
Photo: Doran H. Ross

WORLD PROBLEMS
“World Problems” is the title of at least three overarching
paintings by Almighty (Fig. 22), with many others focusing on
individual issues. In the present example, the man clothed in
red has begun to itemize the problems on a scroll, “WAR, RAPE
RUBBERY PROSTITuTion SMOKING GAMBLING ABOR-
TION SUICIDE MURDER ADULTERY DRUNKENNESS
PROUDNESS HIPOCRISY FORNICATION OH GOD HELP
US.”In addition to those itemized on the scroll Akoto scatters
other “sins” across the painting including: “MURDERERS,”
“THIEVES,” “THE PROFANE,” “UNCLEANNESS” …. Th ese
paintings serve both as a prolegomena and a framing device for
looking at an enormous array of social, economic, medical, and
political issues that plague the planet in general and Ghana in
particular. Cigarette smoking may be at the top of Almighty’s list
in terms of number of paintings produced by the studio, but sex-
related problems including infi delity, prostitution, and AIDS are
probably a close second.9

On the milder side of the world problems issue, one recurring
theme in multiple variations addresses gossip (Figs. 23–24). Th e
fi rst example here reads “MY GOSSIP HAVE REACHED THE
CLOUDS AND IT BITES LIKE SERPENT.” Serpents are recurring
symbols of evil in Almighty’s work and the serpent tongue needs lit-
tle explanation. Th e second has the simple inscription “GOSSIPER
WILL SUFFER.” While gossip may seem to be one of the lesser
problems of the planet, Almighty considers the spoken and writ-
ten word (both potentially in the realm of gossip) to be of utmost

importance when considering human behavior. He frequently
begins his sentences with “It is said,” or “It is written.” Much of this,
of course, is on the biblical side of things, but as much is also rooted
in the verbal and now written culture of the Asante (see above).

Perhaps more egregious are issues related to garbage, unlawful
imprisonment, and a variety of environmental issues. In another
self-portrait (Fig. 25) Akoto’s head is surrounded by garbage with
the query “GARBAGE Will it Bury Us?” Upon closer examina-
tion, almost all the garbage is electronic, including a cell phone,
computer, calculator, and television. Commenting on this work,
Almighty voiced concerns over the distractions of modern tech-
nology, but on a more fundamental note he commented, “Digi-
tal printing is ruining business.” Akoto’s series of jail and prison
scenes includes one of a crying man behind bars (Cover) with
“GOD KNOWS ‘AM JAILED FALSELY. NOT I ALONE BUT
MANY PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD.” And his “A FISH-
ERMAN AT WORK IN LAKE CHAD” (Fig. 26) includes a long
quotation about the “disappearing” lake as cited in the unidenti-
fi ed newspaper from which he copied the image and text to the
extent of citing the author, “Valerie Noury.”

Issues related to equality of the races constitute a wide vari-
ety of portraits titled “BLACK & WHITE ARE ONE.” Th ese
frequently feature images of young people and oft en girls, since
Akoto has three daughters (Fig. 27). In addition to depicting two
individuals of diff erent colors, Almighty uses the same title for a
single person who is painted half black and half white (cf. Mas-
celloni and Ryan 2003:50, 51).

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Another set of concerns are issues related to healthy mar-
riages. Interestingly, he almost always sides with the woman’s
perspective. Included here are side-by-side portraits of a black-
and-white painting of a frowning woman and a color painting
of a smiling woman (Fig. 28). Th e text distinguishes the two:
“Marriage Is Hotter Th an Pepper” and “You Lie, Marriage Is
Sweeter Th an Banana, Even Th an Honey.” A remarkable paint-
ing in Rhoda Woets’s collection depicts a woman with a toilet
roll obscuring one side of her face. Th e inscription reads, “My
dear husband am I not enough for you? Why do you treat me
as a toilet roll?” On the other side of the coin is a painting of
a woman beating a man with the text, “Mr. Nti Married a Sec-
ond Wife Who Was a thief, who usually steals his money and

beats him always.” (Marignoli 2007:104–105). Here, of course, he
is also commenting on his disdain for men who have multiple
wives, and perhaps those husbands deserve the abuse.

On the more extreme side of world problems, in addition to
many apparently unique works about AIDS, the subject has led
to two closely related series of paintings. Th e fi rst is typically a 2′
x 4′ panel with an emaciated male and female couple. Th e writing
varies considerably on these, but at least three say “STOP AIDS
LOVE LIFE” with “STOP” in a triangle, “AIDS” crossed out, and
“LOVE” in a heart. One of these three was printed as a promo-
tional postcard to both signal the cause and promote the studio. In
the second series, at least fi ve paintings with six cells each depict
the progression of the disease, with variations from a woman

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29 “PITY A HUMAN DEATH IS PAINFUL,”
before 2006
At Almighty God Art Works
Photo: Doran H. Ross 2006

30 Five Women Mourners (2004)
Pigment on plywood, 81.5 cm x 122 cm
Fowler Museum at UCLA X2011.30.3
Photo: Don Cole

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31 “Mami Wata is a Mermaid Spirit
Who lives in the Sea” (2010)
Pigment on plywood, 81 cm x 121.5 cm
Collection of the author
Photo: Doran H. Ross

32 “Witches and Wizards Camp”
(2012)
Pigment on plywood, 113 cm x 81.5 cm
Newark Museum 2012.47.10
Photo: Andrea Hagy

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why he did not include the text, he said, in this case, “Th e paint-
ing speaks for itself ” (cf. Mascelloni et al. 2007:56 for another
impressive mourning scene without text).

walking down the street alone; meeting a man; the two sleep-
ing together; one of them in a hospital bed; and fi nally displayed
on a funeral bed. Remarkably, only one of the fi ve known to me
has any text and it reads simply “FEAR WOMAN” (Marignoli et
al. 1970:32). Signifi cantly, Almighty paints the disease as entirely
heterosexual, even though he is quite attentive to both local and
international news on the subject.

Perhaps the most individual of world problems are issues sur-
rounding death and mourning. Funerals, whether Christian or
otherwise, are among the most time-consuming, elaborate, and
expensive events in Akan/Asante culture. In some contemporary
accounts these have been criticized as excessive and in need of
restraint, but the well-entrenched veneration of the ancestors that
permeates much of Akan culture propels the ongoing respect for
deceased elders. While the studio regularly produces silk-screened
memorial T-shirts with images of the deceased to be worn at
funerals and portrait paintings on tin to serve as part of cemetery
headstones, Almighty’s creativity art has resulted in numerous
examples of mourning family members, including himself. Per-
haps his single most visually accurate self-portrait depicts him in
mourning dress at the funeral of his brother (Fig. 1). He also doc-
umented the funeral of one of his sisters with the title “PITY A
HUMAN DEATH IS PAINFUL,” followed by “Mourners At Sis-
ter Amma Nsuo, Kwame Akoto Almighty Art Sister’s Funeral At
ADUM PAMPASO KUMASI-GHANA” (Fig. 29).

One remarkable painting of mourners in the Fowler Museum
is a “copy” of a very poor color photograph from the newspa-
per Daily Graphic of Friday, April 30, 2004 (Fig. 30). Th e cap-
tion in the newspaper caught Almighty’s attention as much as
the photo, “Madam Kate Barbara Berko, eldest daughter of the
late Yaw Brefo Berko being consoled by other relatives aft er col-
lecting the mortal remains of the father.” Almighty was aware
that he had greatly “improved” the photograph and when asked

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DEMONS, THE DEVIL, AND HELL
Notions of dying and death are closely related to Almighty’s
visions of various demons, the devil, and hell. Concepts of evil
in Almighty’s work have a strong focus on the indigenous fi gures
of Tatabuta, the foreign-infl uenced Mami Wata, the Catholic
St. Anthony, and the Christian Devil. Mixed in with these four
characters are various “Witches and Wizards” and an assortment
of other unnamed demons. And then there is the Devil. Th e fi rst
three of these sometimes appear together in the same painting as
a kind of unholy trinity (see Drewal 2008:66) and as the princi-
pal tormenters of Akoto.

Mami Wata may be Almighty’s most enduring symbol of evil
(see Drewal 2008:67, Mascelloni 2007:102). In many works he has
referred to her as a “tormentor.” He has painted numerous ver-
sions of this mermaid image, several with a large red X on top of
her. Almighty says, “I cross out Mami Wata so people will know
that I don’t want to please her. I want to cancel her.” In addition
to many paintings of Mami Wata in a kind of classic odalisque
pose on the beach or on top of the water, a recent painting of the
tormentor depicts the mermaid in her “underwater mansion”
(he also called it her “underworld palace”), complete with a clas-
sical column and staircase (Fig. 31). She is, as always, entwined
with a serpent and here is feasting on her
“favorite meal of banana, orange, pine-
apple, and milk.” Th e text on the bottom
of the frame affi rms that, “Mami Wata is a
mermaid spirit who lives in the sea. Don’t
search for her. She will ruin your life and
you will go to hell. So go to Jesus Christ.”

In one set of paintings of Satan, Akoto
divides the Devil’s face into black and white
(actually more red than white) halves.
Almighty explained the origin of this,
“When African people come by my work-
shop they say ‘Oh! Why do you paint Satan
as a black man? When white people come
by my workshop they say ‘Oh! Why do you
paint Satan as a white man?’ So then I paint
Satan as both black and white.” Th e range
of “Devil” paintings is enormous, includ-
ing a number of “wanted posters.” Several
read with slight variations, “Wanted Dead
or Alive SATAN $500,000,000. Th e Devil
Who deceived them was cast into the lake
of fi re (Rev. 20:10).” A number of Akoto’s
paintings of demons are labeled “Witches
and Wizards Camp.” One particularly com-
plex example has the demons selling a man
in a coat and tie for 15,000 cedis (Fig. 32).
Another text on the painting reads “Th e
Destruction of Kofi Duro,” and Akoto
quotes Ephesians 6:12 about the “Rulers of
Darkness” and “Spiritual Wickedness.”

Although just as easily placed under
the “World Problems” header above, one
remarkable painting by Almighty depicts
the stacked letters of A I D S as the Devil
(Fig. 33) surrounded in the upper back-
ground by wrapped corpses and in the
lower by suffering humanity, black and
white, being clubbed (zapped?) by the
profoundly evil bright red acronym. Th e

33 “AIDS Is a Killer” (2004)
Pigment on plywood, 121.5 cm x 74.5 cm
Fowler Museum at UCLA X2007.12.10
Photo: Doran H. Ross

VOL. 47, NO. 2 SUMMER 2014 african arts | 25

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34 “LIKE TERMINATOR LIKE SCHWARZENEGGER
LIKE ERASER” (before 2006)
Pigment on plywood, 81.5 cm x 122 cm
Ernie Wolfe Gallery
Photo: Alan Shaffer

35 Man Facing Owl (before 2006)
Pigment on plywood, 122 cm x 60 cm
Ernie Wolfe Gallery
Photo: Alan Shaffer

painting is boldly labeled “AIDS IS A KILLER.” Th e upper frame reads: “AIDS HAVE
KILLED 21 MILLION PEOPLE IN THIS WORLD, AND IS STILL KILLING.” Th e bot-
tom reads: “AVOID AIDS OBEY THE PRECEPTS OF YOUR GOD THE CREATOR.”
In 2006 he said, “Th is is my best AIDS painting.”

One dramatic painting of demons is topped by the inscription “LIKE TERMINA-
TOR LIKE SCHWARZENEGGER LIKE ERASER” (Fig. 34). Just below on the right
is “Th e Witches & Wizards will destroy you. Will devour you. will terminate you, so
give your life to God.” And on the bottom right, “If You don’t give your Life to God, the
demons will break Your bones …. Pon!Pon!!Pon!!!” Hollywood, Bollywood, Jollywood,
and Ghana’s own Ghallywood have had a major presence in the visual culture of Ghana
for many years, but fi lm references are relatively rare in Almighty’s art. While Almighty
God Art Works has produced some movie posters in the past, they are not one of the
major producers of these posters (see Wolfe 2001, 2012) In a more contemplative note,
and less obvious as an image of torment and evil, is the rear view of Almighty confront-
ing a rather mammoth owl (Fig. 35). Almighty said that the fact that the bird “lives at
night” and has “large eyes that torment children” makes the owl more of a “witch” than
any other bird.

Th e universe of themes addressed in Almighty God’s art is constantly growing and his
application of Christian maxims and biblical citations keeps pace with his expanding view
of the world. Th e focus here has been on the principal subjects of his art, but there are

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many other themes that have not been mentioned. Almighty’s
refl ections on issues surrounding food is extensive. His copies and
commentaries on a large corpus of Ghanaian newspaper tabloid
photographs merits a paper in itself. Th e proliferation of eyes, ears,
and mouths in multiple paintings with widely varied meanings is
another preoccupation. While digital printing enterprises are sup-
planting the sign writing of studios like Almighty God Art Works,

Akoto’s creativity art is prospering and attracting expanding audi-
ences. Th e studio has become something of a tourist attraction in
itself. And he remains prolifi c.

Doran H. Ross is an editor of African Arts and Director Emeritus of
the Fowler Museum at UCLA. He is the author or editor of six books and
monographs on various aspects of the arts of Ghana. dross@arts.ucla.edu

Notes

I would like to acknowledge the consistent and very

helpful support of my operating system Betsy Quick,
driver Samuel Adams, Ernie Wolfe III and Diane Stein-
metz, Rhoda Woets, Virginia Ryan, Federico Carmig-
nani, Susan Vogel, Isaac Kpelle, Christa Clarke, Nichole
Bridges, Suzanne Gott, Ray Silverman, Nii Quarcoopome,
Allen Roberts and Polly Nooter Roberts, Christine Kristen
and especially the Welsh saint Leslie Ellen Jones.

Research on this paper and a forthcoming book
was conducted during eleven trips to Ghana of varying
lengths between 1995 and 2012, although I photo-
graphed a number of Akoto’s works in various parts of
Ghana on seven trips between 1974 and 1981 before fi rst
meeting the artist in 1995. Th e paper and book are based
on an archive of nearly 900 paintings from the studio.
2 Also look for the forthcoming book by Atta
Kwami, Kumasi Realism, 1951–2007: An African Mod-
ernism, and an important article by Rhoda Woets
tentatively titled, “Th e Art of Quoting: Creativity in
Handmade and Mass-Produced Pictures of Jesus in
Ghana.”

3 Th e ever-changing facade and walls of Almighty
God Art Works are an essay on modern Ghana in them-
selves, cf. Marignoli et at. 2000:18, Ross 2004:74, and
Barlow et al. 2002:11, 38.

4 All quotations from the texts on paintings
maintain the spellings, grammar, capitalizations, and
punctuations as written by the artist on the paintings
themselves.

5 Assigning names to untitled works of art is

always problematic. At the same time, the phrase
“Untitled,” oft en serves little purpose and is frequently
self- defeating. In the works of Almighty God this is
compounded by the oft en extensive text that frames
the painting and occupies much of its surface. For the
purposes of this article, I have largely relied on the most
visually compelling text for the title.

6 A full chapter in the forthcoming book addresses

the role of texts in African art in general and in
Almighty’s work in particular. From my perspective, art
works with Arabic inscribed Islamic texts, oft en featuring
passages from the Koran, have received a disproportion-
ate amount of attention at the expense of their counter-
parts with a Christian orientation. Th e sole exceptions
here are Coptic-centered works from Ethiopia.

7 Th e multicolored abstract backgrounds of
paintings from Almighty God Art Works will also be
addressed in detail in the book. Th ese are not without
substantial infl uence from modern and contemporary
European and American traditions by named artists.
8 Th e art of Almighty God will be featured in a
forthcoming K-12 exhibition of African art at the New-
ark Museum, “Th e Street and the Palace: Popular and
Privileged Arts in Kumasi, Ghana.”

9 Th e health issues surrounding smoking are
a particular obsession of Kwame Akoto’s and will be
featured in an “Artist’s Portfolio” in the next issue of
African Arts.

References cited

Barlow, Martin et al. 2002. kumasi junction. Llandudno,
Wales: Oriel Mostyn Gallery.

Cosentino, Donald. 2009. “First Word: Th e Radiance of
the King.” African Arts 42 (3):1, 4–7.

Drewal, Henry. 2008. Mami Wata: Art for Water Spir-
its in Africa and Its Diasporas. Los Angeles: Fowler
Museum at UCLA.

Falgayrettes-Leveau, Christiane. 2003. “Almighty God,
the Inspired Artist.” In Ghana: Yesterday and Today, ed.
Christiane Falgayrettes-Leveau and Christiane Owusu-
Sarpong. pp. 333–51. Paris: Musée Dapper,

Kraemer, Christine Mullen, Mary Nooter Roberts, et
al., eds. 2007. Inscribing Meaning: Writing and Graphic

Systems in African Art. Washington DC: Smithsonian
National Museum of African Art.

Kristen, Christine. 1980. “Sign-Painting in Ghana.” Afri-
can Arts 13 (3):38–41.

Magnin, André. 1996. Contemporary Art of Africa. New
York: Abrams.

Marignoli, Duccio, Enrico Mascclloni, and Sarenco.
2007. Almighty God: opere/works 1979–2007. Milan:
SilvanaEditoriale.

Mascelloni, Enrico, and Virginia Ryan. 2003. Almighty
God and the Apostles of Accra. Colognola al Colli: Parise
Adriano editore stampatore.

Mascelloni, Enrico, and Sarenco, eds. 2000. Th e Return
of the Magicians: Th e Sacred in Contemporary African
Art. Milan: Skira Editore.

Quarcoopome, Nii. 2010. Th rough African Eyes: Th e
European in African Art, 1500 to Present. Detroit: Detroit
Institute of Arts.

Ross, Doran H. 2004. “Artists Advertising Th emselves:
Contemporary Studio Facades in Ghana” [photo essay].
African Arts 37 (3):72–79.

Vogel, Susan. 1991. Africa Explores: Twentieth Century
African Art. New York: Th e Center for African Art.

Woets, Rhoda. 2011. “What is this?” Framing Ghanaian
art from the colonial to the present. Unpublished Ph.D.
dissertation, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam.

Wolfe, Ernie, III. 2000. Extreme Canvas: Hand-Painted
Movie Posters from Ghana. Los Angeles: Turkana Primi-
tive & Fine Arts.

_______. 2012. Extreme Canvas 2: Th e Golden Age of
Hand-paiinted Movie Posters from Ghana. Los Angeles:
Ernie Wolfe Gallery.

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