In early April, artist Ibrahim Mahama drove for more than an hour from Tamale, in the north of Ghana, to the town of Kumbungu to present a lecture to pupils of the Zugu Dabogni AME Zion Primary School in the Northern Region. In tow – alongside some of Mahama’s colleagues and myself – was the classically trained singer Kokui Selormey, who was due to lead an interactive music workshop for the pupils. It was the first time Mahama had delivered his lecture, titled ‘The Quagrey Effect and the Precarious Gift’, in Dagbani, a language spoken by people in the country’s Northern Region. The talk covered topics including his beginnings, inspirations, challenges, how he sourced materials for his artworks and collaborative working practices. The school’s headmaster thanked Mahama for bringing the world closer to them. ‘They are part of the world, but we have to learn to bridge the gap,’ the artist responded. That statement speaks to a key element of Mahama’s ethos: making art accessible to every