Musah Swallah is a professional visual artist born and raised in the densely populated community of Nima in the heart of Accra, Ghana. His painting, sculpture, and mixed media works render stories that reflect everyday life. In his current series, Musah paints on repurposed wooden panels and uses glass, plastic bottles, pieces of cloth, and other recycled materials. His works speak to youth aspirations, urban environments, and the phenomena of globalization.

Musah studied visual arts at La Presec Senior High School and under an apprenticeship with senior artists Mozzay and Akirash. Through their mentorship, he was able to forge a career as an artist. Today, Musah seeks to share these same opportunities with the next generation of artists in Nima.

As a founding member and Artistic Director of Nima Muhinmanchi Art
(NMA), Musah teaches drawing and painting to young people from his community and leads art initiatives that promote urban transformation. Currently, Musah is taking art in the NYFA Immigrant Mentoring program, to assist him in navigating his career as an artist in the New Jersey/New York, tri-state area. Musah has participated in residencies in Italy, Kenya, and Cote d’Ivoire. He has taken part in exhibitions and projects with the Foundation for Contemporary Art - Ghana (FCA), Alliance Française d’Accra, Accra[dot]Alt, Nubuke Foundation, Invisible Borders Trans-African Photographers, and W.E.B. Du Bois Centre. Musah’s work has been featured internationally on CNN, France 24 and in the Afro-Caribbean Design Festival London.

For Musah, art is a tool for expressing oneself, creating awareness, provoking dialogue, and transforming society.