14. To be creative is to be human – Rania Odaymat
Rania Odaymat is a Ghanaian artist, creative coach, art curator, founding member of the Beyond Collective and a part time fashion stylist and creative director. ”All of these roles can be helpful in simplifying things, but they don’t describe you as a person”, says this cool, wise and responsive human being (who stresses that she can just as well be described as an explorer, seeker, mother and daughter). Seventeen years ago she had an inner crash. ”I couldn’t get out of bed. I couldn’t stand myself. I had been repressing my inner voice and was basically living for others. So I made a choice: I am going to be true to myself no matter whom I lose or what I lose. That’s when I started reeducating myself.” She wants us to develop our different kinds of intelligence: ”The nature of intelligence is dynamic. We need a lot of creative intelligence in times like these. Those who are going to survive are those with the highest capacity to change, re-create themselves and adapt to very fast rising situations.” She thinks teaching kids that one plus one always equals two is a mistake, because that is an oversimplification that doesn’t always apply in life, like in collaboration. On art and freedom she says: ”Your arts create your narrative, and without a story of your own it is very difficult to be free, because other people will write your narrative and decide who you are.” Rania also talks about life in Accra during the pandemic, dream interpretation, Kwame Nkrumah and Salvador Dalí. And about the future: ”Our future depends on the kind of consciousness we develop. If we keep on acting from a place of fear we won’t be going anywhere good.” You can find Rania’s podcast Creative in Accra on all available podcast platforms.