Interviews

RUSSIA'S CULTURAL AMBASSADOR     

The Soviet Union was among the first nations with which the newly independent nation of Ghana established full diplomatic relations.  The first Soviet Ambassador was the 18th to present his letters of credence and since then relations between the two countries have been cordial and mutually beneficial.  

For years one of the planks on which these relations were based was cultural exchange, and Ghana's first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, gave this a revered place in Ghana's foreign policy objectives. Dr. Nkrumah's action-oriented policy on culture, based on the idea of the African personality and cross fertilisation of ideas with peoples all over the world, prompted the Soviet Union to establish the Soviet Cultural Centre in Accra.  

However, ten years ago, following the dramatic changes in the Soviet Union, the Russian Cultural Centre in Accra had to terminate its work because Russia was then experiencing numerous economic problems.  Now that she is recovering from these difficulties, there is every reason to expect that these cultural relations would be resumed.  

One distinguished Cultural Ambassador, who has been anticipating the resumption of cultural relations is Mrs. Anita Orlov, wife of the Russian Ambassador to Ghana.  Mrs. Orlov recently took advantage of an art and furniture exhibition organised by Pergamon Joinery Limited, providers of quality home furniture and joinery, to exhibit her unique artistic works at the 4-Star Golden Tulip Hotel in Ghana. The uniqueness of her work lies in her ability to combine Ghanaian and Russian traditions, especially in the use of beads, which she transforms into beautiful objects for interior decoration. Some of her works are wooden and bronze giraffes, camels, horses, antelopes, ducks and flower jars, ornaments and beads studded in decorated Russian objects.

A recognised authority on Russian art, Anita Orlova admits that borrowing from other cultures enriches her knowledge, her capacity and her work.  And she finds the cross fertilisation of ideas among Ghanaian and Russian artists very good for Ghana-Russia relations.  

For, not only does she appreciate the great skills of her Ghanaian counterpart, she also buys from them for her private collection.  And she says she is most grateful to them for teaching her a good lot about Ghanaian culture.

"Since coming here I have been learning from Ghanaian artists about their original and striking works, and these have inspired me to try my hands at this kind of art," Mrs. Orlov remarks.

Her work in Ghana combines Ghanaian and Russian traditions.  It was her Russian approach to the making of ornaments that earned her an invitation by the prominent Ghanaian bead artist, Kati Dagadu, to exhibit her work at the Accra Novotel. 

Mrs. Orlov says her artistic works are not for sale, but her own small contribution towards bringing Ghana and Russia together culturally.  "I don't intend to open a shop to sell anything. I want to show to my fellow Russians the true vision of Ghanaian culture and vice-versa and hope this will help enhance our relations," she says. She adds that now that the situation is changing for the better in Russia, "we are thinking of re-establishing the cultural centre in Accra. I don't know when, but we will do it."   

She is also working on arranging an exchange of visits between groups of Ghanaian and Russian artists, to learn from one another.  "I think it is important to make a first big step in this direction and I hope that it will succeed."

Mrs. Orlov graduated in Economics at Moscow University and studied art at the studio of Nino Lordkipanidze, a member of the Art Academy of the Russian Federation, and wall painting under the guidance of Marita Laivini, a well known Latvian designer.  

Russian folk art survives in two basic forms - handicrafts practised on a broad scale, and other works of art created by people working at home. Articles are fashioned from marble, glass, ceramics, metal or ornamental textiles, and these have become a part of their lives.

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