Midunu: Commensality, Social Commentary, and Quotidian Aesthetics in Sedem Kingsley Dzade’s Paintings

Mi na miadu nu (let’s gather and eat) is an exhibition that delves deeply into the socio-cultural significance of food in Ghanaian life. Food, a universal necessity that is central to the survival of humanity in Dzade’s exhibition, acts as a visually compelling  narrative capturing national identity, communal bonding, and cultural exchange. Through this exhibition, Dzade employs commensality—the act of eating together—as the primary lens through which he explores how food becomes a site of cultural exchange, unity, and at times, division in Ghanaian society. His artworks encourage viewers to reflect on the complex ways in which eating habits intertwine with identity, consumerism, global influence, and wellness. In Ghana, food and commensality plays an integral role at social gatherings and act as a foundation for building relationships, from casual friendships to more significant societal bonds. Sharing meals is very common during social ceremonies, from weddings and funerals to everyday gatherings. The concept of food and collective eating extends into daily expressions and popular “Ghanaianisms” like ‘One man no chop’, ‘chop better’, NCNC (an acronym for ‘no contribution, no chop’) or popular Fufu joint names like ‘don’t mind your wife chop bar’. Food is a cultural marker, a symbol of hospitality, rapport and a means of maintaining social relationships. Dzade’s exhibition captures this important aspect of Ghanaian culture, using food as both a literal subject and a metaphorical tool for understanding human relationships. Food, he argues, extends beyond mere sustenance; eating cannot simply be reduced to a survival instinct, it is central to communal gatherings, friendship, daily rituals, and intergenerational ties. Dzade insists that: ‘Food connection starts from home—coming together to eat as a family. In our fast paced world people don’t cook at home, let alone sit at home together to share a meal. In this sense, commensality acts as an effective approach in facilitating meaningful engagements among individuals in society. Yet, despite Dzade’s celebration of how food brings us together to acknowledge the richness of Ghanaian culinary traditions he critiques the culinary shifts in these traditions as they intersect with modern consumerism and globalization.

Dzade’s critique highlighting the shift from traditional meals to fast food chains like KFC, reflects broader global shifts in consumption, identity, and public health awareness. The rapid rise of fast food chains in Ghana, particularly in urban centers like Accra, has led to growing concerns about public health and the loss of traditional eating practices. In Self Treat (2023), the most striking painting in the exhibition, Dzade offers a vivid critique of this phenomenon, depicting an overweight figure indulging in an assortment of KFC fast foods. Self Treat (2023) which translates in Ghanaian pidgin as “spoil maself’, visually captures this growing social canker best known as the ‘omnivore paradox’ — a situation that results in indecision and conflicting impulses toward food choices. The painting is a scathing critique and clearly, a social commentary raising awareness of the rise of culinary imperialism, fast food chains, particularly KFC, in Ghana, and its role in the growing obesity crisis which has been an issue of concern for Ghanaian health workers and researchers. As cities like Accra become more urbanized, and as Western food chains continue to expand, Dzade argues that Ghanaians are becoming increasingly disconnected from their traditional diets and cultural practices. This disconnection has real consequences, particularly in terms of public health. The rise in obesity, heart disease, and diabetes in Ghana is alarming, and Dzade’s work invites viewers to consider how this shift in diet is linked to larger social and economic trends. Thus, in his attempt to foreground ethnic delicacies like fufu with tilapia soup juxtaposed to Self Treat (2023), Dzade is making a bold visual statement advocating a return to traditionally prepared delicacies still relished by many conservatives, as captured in his painting Fufu and Tilapia. By focusing on the traditional Ghanaian meals, Dzade highlights the broader theme of his exhibition: the importance of preserving cultural values, culinary traditions and commensality in the face of overwhelming global consumer culture. Dzade’s critique of fast food culture in Self Treat (2023) aligns seamlessly with his broader exploration of food as a marker of identity, as seen in his piece Ghana Jollof (2024). While Self Treat (2023) highlights the dangers of fast food’s infiltration into Ghanaian society, causing a disconnection from traditional diets and contributing to public health crises, Ghana Jollof taps into the playful but culturally significant “Jollof Wars” between Ghana and Nigeria. Both pieces use food as a conversation starter—one critiquing the loss of traditional values to global consumerism, the other celebrating the pride tied to national culinary heritage. In his piece Ghana Jollof (2024), Dzade rekindles the longstanding debate over whose Jollof rice is superior—Ghana or Nigeria—which has been a topic of conversation in West Africa for years, expressing the passion and lengths people will go to defend their nation’s culinary preference. Dzade’s exhibition also engages with environmental issues, particularly the impact of modern consumer habits on the planet. In pieces like Take Away (2024) and Agyinkwa Saviour (2024), Dzade critiques the environmental consequences of single-use plastics and styrofoam, which have become common in food packaging. These materials, which are often used in fast food restaurants and takeaway services, contribute to the global waste crisis and have a devastating impact on ecosystems. By highlighting this issue, Dzade advocates for a return to more sustainable, eco-friendly practices. He draws attention to traditional Ghanaian methods of packaging food, such as using Katamfe leaves, which are both biodegradable and culturally significant. Through this environmental lens, Dzade’s work critiques the unsustainable practices that have become common in modern Ghana and urges viewers to reconsider their relationship with food, culture, and the environment.

Ultimately, Mi na miadu nu is a social commentary on the changing dynamics of food, culture, and identity in Ghana. Dzade’s art invites his audience to reconnect with their culinary heritage, question the influence of global consumer trends, and recognize that even the most ordinary actions—like sharing a meal—carry profound social and cultural meaning. The power of Dzade’s exhibition lies in its ability to weave together multiple layers of meaning, all centered on something as simple and universal as food. On one level, his works celebrate the beauty and richness of Ghanaian culinary traditions. But on another level, they offer a critique of the ways in which urban culture and imported taste is eroding these traditions, replacing them with fast food, individualism, and consumerism. Through his paintings, Dzade encourages his audience to critically reflect about their own relationship with food and to consider how their individual choices—what they eat, how they eat, and with whom—reflect larger social and cultural trends. Dzade’s focus on food as a subject is particularly powerful because it taps into something that is both deeply personal and yet universally relevant across various cultures. Everyone eats, and everyone’s relationship with food is shaped by culture, history, and social context. Food and eating is an everyday necessity, which makes it ideal for Dzade to engage  and deal with a wide range of issues, from public health and environmental sustainability to identity and globalization.

In a nutshell, Sedem Kingsley Dzade’s Mi na miadu nu is a thought-provoking exhibition that uses food as a lens to explore the complexities of ‘modern Ghanaian lifestyle’. Through his expressive paintings, Dzade captures the elegance of everyday moments while also critiquing the forces of consumerism, globalization, and environmental degradation that threaten to erode these traditional values.

Text by Sela Kodjo Adjei, PhD

Sweet After Meal
Acrylic on Canvas  168 cm X 203cm

Breakfast
Oil on Canvas 107cm X 86cm

Coffee Date
Oil on Canvas  142cm X 167cm

Favourite Dish II
Oil on Canvas 107cm X 86cm

Hunger Stare
Oil on Canvas  95cm x 94cm

Woezor II ( Welcome )
Oil on Canvas  94cm X 90cm