London-based Ghanaian soul/jazz singer Sutra, known in private life as Dr Silvia Anie-Akwetey, is thankful for the acknowledgement of her works in the creative arts sector as she was honoured at the just ended Silicon Valley African Film Festival (SVAFF).
As a practicing medical doctor in England, her talents go beyond the consulting room, extending deep into the creative arts sector, exhibiting her versatility in poetry and music.
Sutra managed to walk away with the Special Recognition Award for Achievement in Narrative Short for her Waves/The Water music video.
Waves/The Water (#W), is a visual narrative that combines two of Sutra’s songs from her mixtape The Art of Being released in 2006. Director of the video, Edem Dotse, was also awarded for his creativity.
It was shot at the Aburi Botanical Gardens and the film is loaded with cultural and spiritual references in a unique yet entertaining piece which reflects traits within the Ghanaian society especially as espoused in Akan culture.
On the award night which saw Ghanaian movie director Shirley Frimpong Manso win the honours for best Narrative Feature Film, it was Sutra who dazzled the audience with the rare opportunity of a live performance as she also had her film screened at the festival held at the Hoover Theatre in San Jose, California, on October 1.
Sutra, who took a bold step to create a unique video to portray visual interpretation to two songs, something uncommon in the music industry worldwide said she “felt the need to show everyone else what I saw in my head when I created Waves and The Water: different ends of a spectrum of pain. I couldn’t imagine telling the story of one song without contrasting it with the other”
According to her, “There are references to a lot that is important to me: Ghanaian culture (adinkra/funeral dances/colour), water (healing, duality) and womanhood. Also, I wanted to create a living masterpiece that brought different forms of art and creation together in terms of music, film, photography and dance.”
Sutra draws inspiration from her mother, Dr Sylvia Anie, a Chartered Scientist who has made tremendous impact in the health sector.
For Sutra, the creative arts is her vehicle to impact the lives of individuals in the society.
Having experienced activities in the sector in Ghana, UK, US and several other countries, she called on stakeholders to ensure that the right investments are made to bring Ghana at par to what happens in developed countries due to the enormous returns in terms of contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employment potential in the entertainment industry.
Sutra thanked her fans across the globe especially those in Ghana and UK for the massive support as she promised more exciting releases as she takes up her next project with heightened inspiration.
Watch her video
Story by David Apinga |3news.com