Ghana: VCR Theater Posters from the 1980s.

Mirroring the VCR days in India, the first VCRs reached Ghana in the 1980s to give rise to a rental structure and exhibition of video cassette movies, particularly in the urban centers of Accra and Kumasi. Quite like India again, a host of fixed and mobile VCR movie theaters rolled into business. Itinerant VCR businessmen would travel the country hooking up TVs and VCRs to portable generators even, in case of non availability of power, to create impromptu theaters of entertainment. A table and a couple of chairs were good enough. These VCR movie screenings were promoted via a large variety of colorful and exaggerated hand drawn and hand painted posters by self taught artists who often used discarded flour sacks as the canvas. In the idiom of popular street art, these posters exude a charming lack of sophistication, and therefore, is typically in opposition to high brow gallery art. This liberty of interpreting American and Hong Kong movies in a single frame for promotional purposes on the streets of sub-Saharan Africa, had given voice to a rather unique visual idiom – marked by childlike exaggerations, disregard for fidelity to content, emphasis on shock and gore, and a wicked touch of humor. Take a look.

 

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Cliffy N
Cliffy N
10 years ago

We dont get to see these often. ty for sharing

Snigdha
Snigdha
10 years ago

Can’t get over the biceps, triceps, multiceps, lol

Krazy Bob
Krazy Bob
10 years ago

Some of these are true stuff of nightmares…kids beware!

happyha31
happyha31
10 years ago

i do miss handpainted posters and billboards..each one was unique. Now its all uniform, frm font to layout to everything else..templates rule. Sad sad…

opurt
opurt
10 years ago

Los Angeles and Hong Kong in Accra. The world is flat.

iAte
iAte
10 years ago

I ate my village. :-)

cindy
cindy
10 years ago

lol dats hulk hogan?!!

Marcus
Marcus
10 years ago

These are strangely charming.. :)