"Pioneers in Ghana," Ensign, Jul 2009, 40-43
When GayLynn Ribeira, an art student at Brigham Young University, heard the amazing stories of the pioneer Saints in Ghana, she knew she wanted to create their portraits for her bachelor of fine arts illustration project. In the fall of 2005, she began to pursue a way to do this. The result was a grant allowing her and three other art students-Jesse Bushnell, Emmalee Glauser Powell, and Angela Nelson-to spend May and June of 2006 in Ghana. BYU faculty member Richard Hull oversaw the project. The five gathered stories and images of not only pioneer Saints but newer members also. The wealth of information found its way onto canvas in the months following the trip and onto the walls of the B. F. Larsen Gallery at BYU in October 2007. Following is some of that artwork.
9. William and Charlotte Acquah: One Heart and One Mind, by Emmalee Glauser Powell
William and Charlotte (members of 30 years) have grown in the gospel together through many years of hardship and joy. Through it all, they are becoming one with God and with each other. They hold hands to show their love for one another-something William learned from the couple missionaries who taught him to pray and to know that he is a child of God.
10. Baptism Beach, by Jesse Bushnell
This peaceful beach has been the site of hundreds of Ghanaian baptisms.
11. Theodora Acquah: Third-Generation Daughter, by Jesse Bushnell
Theodora is a third-generation Latter-day Saint in Cape Coast, thanks to the faith of her grandmother who joined the Church and taught her children and grandchildren the gospel. As a new Latter-day Saint, Theodora's grandmother took it upon herself to sweep the meetinghouse, fetch buckets of water to scrub the floor, and make sure things were clean before church.
12. How Firm a Foundation, Kaku Family, by Angela Nelson
"When Brother and Sister Kaku invited us into their home in Cape Coast, I felt like I was walking into my own home in Utah," wrote artist Angela Nelson. "My favorite part was after the commotion of dinner, all the children gathered around their parents with scriptures open. I will never forget being with this family and watching the children look to their parents for guidance and their parents turning to the scriptures for answers."
13. Hannah, by Richard Hull
Of this portrait of Hannah Bafuh, a Latter-day Saint in Kumasi, the artist said, "I tried to capture her brilliant, animated personality."
14. Preparing Dinner, Emma Boateng, by Angela Nelson
"It was like watching a dance; they were in perfect sync with each other," wrote Angela Nelson, describing how the Boateng family made the food staple, fufu, from the cassava root. "One would raise the pole high and bring it down with a loud thud while the other would quickly gather the cassava in a ball just in time for the other to pound it again. There is also a rhythm in their daily life, a diligence in keeping the commandments. Time here is measured in relationships, in helping friends and family, not in objects obtained. I see a steady resolve to be consistent-especially in their testimonies."
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