Desmond Botchway

Biography

Desmond Nii Kortey Botchway, born in 1993 in Accra, Ghana, is a visual artist and muralist who draws inspiration from the masquerade traditions of West Africa, particularly the Egungun masquerade. These traditions serve as living archives of history, mythology, and ancestral memory, connecting the living with the divine through elaborate performances and costumes. Botchway uses the masquerade motif to explore the hidden truths of the godlike giants who once thrived along the Guinea coast, before colonial forces nearly erased their legacy. His work confronts the legacies of oppression, highlighting the resilience of indigenous cultures and their ongoing struggle for liberation. Through his art, Botchway reclaims these stories, honoring the enduring strength of ancestral traditions.