The inspiration for this collection came from a deep conversation Nana once had with his mother. He was considering ending a relationship and asked, “Can you truly hurt the people you claim to love?” This question created a paradox: if you truly love someone, you wouldn’t hurt them, but if you don’t love someone, hurting them shouldn’t be a problem. The primary question, though, was about self-love: Do you pick someone over yourself?
And if you do pick yourself over someone else, can it be said that you truly loved them?
Auntie Yaa, a fictional widow, wears her Kaba and Slit with a heavy heart. She mourns her husband but secretly holds a painful truth: she played a part in his death. This secret fills her with guilt and regret, mirroring Nana’s own emotional struggle during his conversation with his mother.
At night, whispers of “Yaanum” follow Auntie Yaa, blaming her for her husband’s demise. Her community doesn’t know the depth of her sorrow. Her life is a mix of love and betrayal—she loved her husband deeply, yet her actions led to his end.
Auntie Yaa lives with conflicting emotions. Every memory of her husband brings both love and pain. She is both the one who caused the hurt and the one who suffers from it. Her story explores the complicated nature of the human heart, where love and pain are closely tied together. It reflects the same state of mind Nana was in when he questioned the nature of love and self-preservation.
Growing up in Ghana, Nana was fascinated by the traditional Kaba and Slit clothing, seeing them as more than just garments but as storytellers. His photography goes beyond just taking pictures. Inspired by tales like Auntie Yaa’s, Nana captures the hidden grief and heavy burdens that people carry.
Through his lens, Nana reveals the true essence of human emotions. His photos make us feel Auntie Yaa’s sorrow and understand her inner struggle. His art is a powerful reminder of the complex dance between love and pain in our lives.
Nana Kwadwo Agyei Addo’s “Auntie Yaa and Her Kaba and Slit” is a moving collection that tells a deep, emotional story.
Through his photography, he invites us to see beyond the surface and feel the hidden depths of human experience, questioning how love and self-preservation can coexist.
AUNTIE YAA AND HER KABA AND SLIT
"THE REFLECTIONS OF LADY MACBETH"
In the haunting silence of her solitude, Auntie Yaa grapples with the echoes of her clandestine choice, staring into the abyss of her own conscience. The mental battlefield within her mind bears witness to the relentless questioning - was the sacrifice of her husband's life worth the pursuit of another love?
Reclining on an old, patterned sofa, her body draped in heavy fabric, Auntie Yaa's eyes are fixed on the light seeping through a small window, as if seeking redemption or a way out of her inner turmoil. The starkness of the room, with its peeling paint and sparse furnishings, mirrors the desolation within her heart. The cold, metallic refrigerator and the lifeless antenna juxtapose the warmth she once knew, now replaced by the chilling reality of her actions.
As she confronts the shadows of her decisions, the ghostly refrain of her late husband's final words resonates, a haunting melody that pierces through the depths of her contemplation. His sorrowful lament, "Yaa, you have killed me, you have killed us," becomes an unyielding specter, a chorus of remorse that accompanies her every introspective gaze.
The image encapsulates the tragic interplay between desire and consequence, as Auntie Yaa battles not only with the external world's perception but also the relentless echoes of her own actions etched in the recesses of her tormented mind. The weight of her dress, trailing across the floor, symbolizes the heavy burden she carries, a tangible representation of the guilt that anchors her to this moment of despair.
In this poignant tableau, Auntie Yaa's struggle is laid bare - a silent, powerful testament to the devastating impact of her choices, as she remains ensnared in a web of regret and longing, forever haunted by the love she destroyed in her pursuit of another.
"WHILES STATUES CRY"
In the midst of mourning, Auntie Yaa stands as a living paradox, draped in sorrowful hues yet concealing the sinister secret that stains her grief. Her outward facade, a masterful performance, draws forth the empathy of those around her, who remain oblivious to the fact that the tears she conjures are but a well-rehearsed charade.
Auntie Yaa's eyes, which should be windows to her soul's turmoil, instead reflect a practiced melancholy. She has perfected the art of sorrow, her every gesture calculated to elicit sympathy, her every sigh a silent plea for understanding. Those who gather around her, offering their condolences and sharing in her apparent pain, are unaware that they are mere actors in a tragedy of her own making.
Like a stoic monument, Auntie Yaa bears the weight of her guilt, a burden as immovable as stone. Her shoulders, though draped in the softest fabrics, feel the heaviness of her actions, each fold of her garment a reminder of the lies she weaves. She is trapped in a prison of her own design, where the walls are built from deceit and the bars forged from betrayal.
Unable to channel genuine sorrow, she finds herself disconnected from the very emotions that define humanity. The act of mourning, for her, is a macabre dance—a performance where every step is carefully choreographed to maintain the illusion of grief. This dance, intended to absolve her from suspicion and to win her freedom, ironically ensnares her in a deeper web of emotional imprisonment.
Auntie Yaa's soul is devoid of the genuine emotions that once flowed through her veins. Where there should be love, there is only emptiness; where there should be sorrow, there is only the hollow echo of her guilt. She is haunted by the choices she made, her every waking moment a reminder of the love she sacrificed for a fleeting moment of passion.
Her secret, like a shadow, follows her relentlessly. It whispers in her ear, tainting every memory of her husband with the bitter taste of regret. She remembers his laugh, his touch, his voice, but these recollections are now laced with the poison of her betrayal. The joy they once brought her is now a dagger that twists in her heart, a constant reminder of the life she destroyed.
In her solitude, Auntie Yaa grapples with the enormity of her actions. She longs for redemption, but knows that true absolution is beyond her reach. Her grief, though feigned, has become a second skin, a mask she cannot remove. She is caught in a liminal space between reality and performance, where every emotion is suspect, and every gesture is scrutinized.
In the end, Auntie Yaa's story is one of tragic irony. In her attempt to fabricate a narrative of love and loss, she has become a prisoner of her own deception. Her life is a testament to the destructive power of guilt and the hollow victory of deceit. She stands as a cautionary tale, a reminder that the true cost of betrayal is not just the loss of love, but the loss of one's self.
"THE HIDE"
In this haunting image, Auntie Yaa is depicted amidst the relentless grip of her thoughts, haunted by the specters of her past actions. It captures the weight of her burden as she grapples with the consequences of her deeds.
Standing at the threshold of a dimly lit archway, Auntie Yaa is flanked by shadowy figures that seem to merge with the surrounding darkness. These figures, draped in indistinguishable robes, symbolize the ghosts of her past, ever-present and looming. They bear silent witness to her torment, their faceless forms a representation of the faceless, nameless guilt that gnaws at her soul.
The artist skilfully portrays the turmoil within Auntie Yaa's soul, her expression a tumultuous whirlwind of anguish and remorse. Her eyes, deep wells of sorrow, reflect the weight of her decisions, while her posture speaks of a woman burdened by an invisible, yet overwhelming, load. The stark contrast between light and shadow accentuates the dichotomy of her existence
- the façade she presents to the world versus the turmoil raging within.
As she navigates the labyrinth of her mind, Auntie Yaa is consumed by the echoes of her past, the ghosts of her actions haunting her every waking moment. The relentless onslaught of memories threatens to engulf her, trapping her in a perpetual state of introspection and despair. Each step she takes is a step further into the abyss of her own making, with no respite in sight.
Through the artist's masterful depiction, viewers are drawn into Auntie Yaa's inner turmoil, forced to confront the harrowing reality of her internal struggle. The scene is both poignant and unsettling, a stark reminder of the enduring weight of guilt and the relentless nature of self-inflicted torment. It serves as a powerful commentary on the human condition, the inescapable nature of conscience, and the profound impact of our choices. In this portrayal, Auntie Yaa becomes every one of us, grappling with our own inner demons, seeking redemption, and yet often finding none.
