Nana Obokese Ampah, Founder/CEO of Obokese Foundation, explained that Internationally renowned photojournalist and Moree native son, Thomas Fynn, has agreed to serve as the Principal Photojournalist Consultant for the Moree Kemetic Rebirth Projects ( MKRP).
Nana further noted that both he and Nana Kwamina Kra II, Chief MKRP Consultant, are very excited by this development for two reasons. “First, Mr. Fynn brings a wealth of skill and international experience, spanning over three decades of celebrated, high profile photo journalism that will be invaluable to the proper documentation of this important historic work. Second, the likelihood that an internationally recognised photo journalist would have grown up in Moree and be living 100-yards from Kweigya’s memorial site is confirmation that our Ancestors are bringing their Diaspora-Ghanaian children home for the building of the Africa we want. No question, there is a Pan African family reunion in the making, for all the world to witness.”
When asked for comment, Nana Kwamina Kra II, shared “…a principle western strategy in the destruction of African culture has been to a) systematically discredit and ultimately destroy all confidence in Africa’s oral traditional and spiritual sciences, and, b) to replace them with the western approved process of credential acquisition. This dynamic prepares us for the initial, anticipated MKRP challenge—the allegation that MKRP consultants lack the proper credentials to be taken seriously in the academic community.”
When asked how this challenge would be met, Nana replied “we are enlisting the preeminent Kemetic scholars and practitioners to do this work. We are very fortunate to have met Thomas Fynn because he brings undeniable credentials in four critical areas; first, he has over 3-decades of photo journalism experience, including, freelance photography work with various Ghana ministries—including tourism, the Museums and Monuments Board, National Leaders, for example, Former Vice President Kwesi Amissah-Arthur, Ministry of Trade and Industry and Ministry of Tourism, to name a few. Second, he has worked all over the world in some of the most prestigious venues, including: Three World Expositions in Hanover Germany (2000), Aichi-Japan (2005) and Shanghai China (2010), and, he was invited to join CNN Discovery Channel covering Ghana tourist sites with H.E. John Agyekum Kufuor President of the Republic of Ghana. Third, he has showcased personal award winning exhibits like the World Master Award in Arts and Culture 2010 at a festival held in Jeollanamdo, South Korea.” Thomas’ undeniable photojournalist pedigree and award winning body of work make him the quintessential choice for the MKRP. The fact that he calls Moree home is the surprise cherry atop the ‘icing on the cake’.”
We had the opportunity to speak directly to Mr. Fynn to see how his thoughts about the Kweigya project compared with the survey results and perceptions as reported by Supi Kweku Annan and current Chief Fisherman, Ofarnyi Kweigya. Fynn explained “…that he established FYNNexhibits as a multimedia consulting firm with the vision of preserving and promoting the cultural heritage of the Central Region, in particular, and Ghana, in general.” He further confirmed learning (as a child) the legends of Ofarnyi Kweigya and Asebu Amenfi—the two giants from Kemet—from his grandparents. When asked about his impressions of the potential of the Kweigya monument to impact Moree he responded that “I had worked 20 years on my vision of building Moree before giving up in 2014. With all my funds exhausted and prospects of future support looking very grim, I was forced to abandon my dream. I relocated to Accra and spent 7 years accepting the fact that my life long vision was not to be. However, almost as a miracle, as soon as I heard about the Kweigya stature coming to Moree, I realised that my dream was still alive. I immediately changed direction and started making plans to return to my original purpose and passion.”
Fynn says he is ecstatic about his role with MKRP and he cannot wait to reconnect with Moree, pick up where he left off in 2014 and resume the work of preserving and promoting the cultural heritage of the central region.
It looks as though Moree’s ‘city of light’ is already shining on FYNNexhibits. We wish him much success and we look forward to his photo journalism as it informs and shapes our knowledge of ancient Kemet as well as our evolving perceptions of Moree, the Central Region, Ghana and Mother Africa.