By Kofi Mensah, Visual Arts Columnist and Cultural Commentator
Manchester-based charcoal artist Kenneth Uzoigwe has presented Pieces of Self, a striking drawing that examines identity through fragmentation.
The portrait appears as puzzle pieces, revealing parts of a face while leaving other sections open. At the center, one eye looks outward through a form that resembles a keyhole, creating a direct connection with the viewer.
According to Uzoigwe, “The puzzle pieces represent identity forming over time. Some parts are found, some are lost, some remain hidden.”
The drawing showcases Uzoigwe’s artistic merit, with its use of charcoal on paper, fragmentation as a narrative device, and blend of realism with symbolism. The piece focuses on identity, memory, and the private self, demonstrating maturity through restraint and precision.
Art critic Kofi Mensah writes: “Uzoigwe builds emotional intensity through absence. In Pieces of Self, visibility and blank space carry equal weight. His charcoal technique shows strong discipline. What he chooses not to draw becomes part of the narrative.”
Kenneth Uzoigwe is a visual artist who has lived in Ghana for many years and now works from Manchester, United Kingdom. He works exclusively with charcoal and explores emotional identity, silence, and personal narrative. His drawings use absence as meaning, inviting viewers to confront what is not immediately visible.
Mahama’s Quiet Taste for a Third Term
President John Dramani Mahama insists publicly that he has no intention of seeking a third shot at the presidency. Yet beneath the polished speeches and carefully-crafted denials, a quiet political appetite seems to be growing.
According to senior insiders within his administration, a subtle but coordinated campaign is being engineered behind the scenes. Powerful figures in the NDC are said to be nudging selected party voices to keep the “third term” conversation alive—just long enough for it to take shape in the minds of Ghanaians.
The strategy, sources say, is calculated: soften public resistance by ensuring opinion leaders remain silent. Influential clergy, NGO heads, and civil society actors are allegedly being courted—or pressured—to stay neutral, creating the impression that the idea is not as outrageous as it sounds.
But the road ahead is far from smooth. The opposition is already bracing for battle. Their leaders, sensing a constitutional ambush, appear prepared to resist any such move with every political weapon available. They see the manoeuvre as a dangerous attempt to stretch constitutional boundaries and undermine democratic norms.
For now, Mahama maintains his innocence. But the signals coming from his political machinery suggest a different story—one that Ghanaians will be forced to confront sooner rather than later.
