By Nafisatu Olayinka Deen
Freetown, 29th October, 2026 – Morrison Jusu’s Kontri Arts and Crafts has opened its first solo exhibition in Freetown titled: “Echoes From My Childhood,” a nostalgic tribute to Sierra Leone’s disappearing traditional childhood games.
The Kontri Arts and Crafts is owned by acclaimed Sierra Leonean visual artist Morrison Jusu, popularly known as Kontri Artist.
The private opening was held on 24th October, 2026, at Empower Africa, City Hall, Freetown, drawing artists, art lovers and government representatives.
The exhibition is funded by the European Union, through the Culture Moves Salone Mobility Fund implemented by KEA European Affairs, with research carried out in partnership with Nubian Innovation Lab and supported by the Embassy of Sierra Leone in Dakar.
It features 13 works tracing the artist’s own journey, six sketch-like acrylic paintings recalling his first childhood drawings, and seven mixed media works made from fabric, sand and acrylic.
In his keynote address, Jusu said the exhibition was a deeply personal moment. He recalled how growing up in Freetown playing games outside. “When I was growing up, most of my evenings were spent playing these games [Ah dai, Marble, Touch, Nottin, etc.]. But most of these games are now fading away. Today, many children have never played them,” he said. “These games will never rust. They live only in us, passed from the older child to the younger one. Old buildings can be restored. Artefacts can be dug up and restored. But a game cannot be dug up. Once a generation stops playing it, it is gone,” he said.
The artist also linked his childhood creativity to his current practice, known for using found materials, especially discarded fabric.
“These games also made me the artist I am today. A stick became a gun. Two stones became a goalpost. We made something out of absolutely nothing. That same creativity is what I use today when I work with found materials,” he recalled.
Jusu said the exhibition is not the end but the beginning of an archive, expressing hope to work with the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs and other ministries to bring these games back into schools, sports days and annual family events.
“I ask the older generation to teach these games. And I ask the younger generation to learn these games. Because an echo only lasts as long as someone keeps calling,” he appealed.
Hosting the exhibition, Adenike Hamilton, who introduced the artist, extended gratitude to the EU and partners for making the show possible.
Hamilton noted that the exhibition was intentionally nostalgic, reminding viewers of the educational and social value of play at a time when technology is taking over.
“Play, especially in the lives of children, is not just for enjoyment, but it is also an educational tool. It’s a socialization tool, and it has become a lost art, especially with the advent of technology. Even children now, they have their phones and their iPads. Nobody writes down how to play “Ah dai” or how to play “Noty.” It’s taught from one generation to the next through doing. For instance, here we call it Ah dai, but in the West it’s hopscotch. It’s still very nostalgic,” she said.
A retiree, Iris Max Macarthy, who viewed the exhibition, described the experience as deeply nostalgic. “Going through the exhibition brought back so many childhood memories. I remembered the games we played in the streets without needing anything. It was nostalgic,” she said. “I wish all these games would return to schools so the new generation doesn’t miss out on them.”
Delivering an address on behalf of Tourism Minister Nabeela Tunis, Robert Leigh lauded the initiative, citing that “Echoes From My Childhood” does more than display beautiful works. “This exhibition does more than display beautiful works. It documents a set of practices; traditional games such as Ah dai, Noti, Touch and others remind us that we are one. These games are not idle pastimes. They are repositories of social knowledge, childhood pedagogy, and communal belonging,” he said.
