African gallerist and cultural advocate Selorm Hilary Kojo Fiadjoe, founder of ENA Gallery, delivered a standout artistic showcase at the 2025 GUBA (Grow Unite Build Africa) Awards in Barbados—an event widely regarded as one of the most significant Pan-African gatherings in recent years.
This year’s ceremony held deep historical meaning, commemorating the first-ever chartered flight of free Africans directly from Ghana to Barbados. The symbolic journey marked a powerful reconnection between the African continent and the Caribbean, celebrating shared ancestry and strengthening long-standing cultural bonds across the Atlantic.
Against this backdrop, Selorm and artists from ENA Gallery presented a compelling collection of works that captured the spirit of unity, environmental consciousness, and cultural pride. Their showcase received widespread acclaim from government officials, cultural leaders, academics, and members of the global African diaspora.
A Regal Tribute to the Asantehene
One of the most talked-about pieces was a mixed-media portrait of His Royal Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, created by Ghanaian recycled-arts specialist Eric Kwadwo Afranie. The artwork—crafted from discarded plastics, metal scraps, fabric remnants, and refined waste—transformed environmental debris into a majestic representation of the Asantehene.
The portrait was presented at The University of the West Indies (UWI), Cave Hill Campus, during the inauguration of the Hilary McDonald Beckles Administration Block. The unveiling carried added symbolic weight: during a 2008 visit, the Asantehene planted a baobab tree at the same campus. Known as the “Tree of Life,” the baobab symbolizes resilience, longevity, and spiritual grounding. The juxtaposition of the growing baobab and the recycled portrait underscored themes of regeneration, unity, and environmental stewardship.
Selorm Hilary Kojo Fiadjoe Amplifies Africa–Caribbean Unity Through Art at Historic 2025 GUBA Awards in Barbados
Honouring Barbados Icons Through Ghanaian Textile Art
ENA Gallery’s presence at GUBA extended beyond this tribute. Master weaver and textile portrait artist Michael Appiah Yeboah (Mr. MAY) exhibited two celebrated woven portraits honoring Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley and global superstar Rihanna. Blending intricate kente techniques with Barbadian cultural symbolism, the works were praised for their craftsmanship, cultural sensitivity, and storytelling power.
Celebrating Shared Heroes: Nkrumah and Marley
Another highlight was a pair of fabric collage portraits by Ghanaian textile innovator Kweku Davinci. His works honored two monumental figures of Black liberation and global unity—Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and Bob Marley. Davinci’s ability to transform African textiles into vivid emotional narratives offered a resonant connection between Ghana and the Caribbean, reinforcing shared histories of resistance, freedom struggles, and cultural revolution.
ENA Gallery’s Expanding Influence
Collectively, these presentations strengthened ENA Gallery’s reputation as a leading center of African artistic excellence, cultural diplomacy, and environmental advocacy. Under Selorm’s leadership, the gallery has championed sustainable art practices, youth employment through recycling-based art production, and community clean-up initiatives across Ghana. The gallery’s mission emphasizes creativity with purpose—turning waste into art while driving social and environmental change.
A Bridge Between Continents
Selorm’s contributions at the 2025 GUBA Awards served as both an artistic celebration and a call to action. His showcase highlighted the transformative power of art to educate, connect, and inspire, while symbolizing renewed cultural and diplomatic ties between Ghana and Barbados—especially in light of the historic charter flight linking the two nations.
For audiences in attendance, the collection offered more than aesthetic expression. Each piece—from recycled portraits to woven tapestries—told a story of shared resilience, interconnected heritage, and the unified aspirations of people of African descent worldwide.
As global conversations increasingly embrace sustainability, cultural identity, and cross-continental collaboration, Selorm Hilary Kojo Fiadjoe and the ENA Gallery collective stand at the forefront of this movement. Through their work, they continue to demonstrate that art is not only a medium of expression—but also a bridge, a message, and a catalyst for unity and healing across the world.
Source: ameyawdebrah.com/
