Image 4 Ghana: If This is the Time/Tant qu'il y a la vie 9780773593817

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IF THIS IS THE TIME

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Photographed in Ghana by Michael Semak

TANT QU'IL Y A LA VIE Photographie au Ghana par Michael Semak

PUBLISHED BY McGILL-QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY PRESS FOR THE NATIONAL FILM BOARD OF CANADA MONTREAL 1969

In keeping with our desire to offer the best work of Canadian photographerstothecountry, we are pleased to present here a collection by Michael Semak, one of our outstanding photographic artists. "If This is the Time" is the result of eight weeks of work in Ghana in late 1967, made possible for Mr. Semak by a Canada Council grant which also took him to Sierra Leone. Working in Accra (the capital), Kumasi, Offinso and Kpandu, he moved among the people in their day-to-day pursuits in the villages, schools, markets and hospitals and on the beaches, for the sea is part of the life of many Ghanaians. He has not sought to present a definitive portrait of the country, but rather a feeling of and for the people of this young African nation. This is in keeping with Mr. Semak's photographic philosophy. He says: "When I see, feel and photograph, I am interested in and want to stress the common denominator of people; the similarities of people rather than the petty differences." We feel he has succeeded. The poetic text comprises excerpts from "The Harvest," written by Ghana's leading poet His Excellency Mr. Kwesi Brew, who is now Ghanaian Ambassador to Senegal. Its spirit, we feel, matches that of the photographs, and between the two we have an expression of the life and vitality of a people.

En publiant une selection bien particuliere des oeuvres de I'artiste Michael Semak, le Service de la photographie de TOffice national du film du Canada continue sa tradition de presenter au public les grands noms de la photographie au Canada. "Tant qu'il y a la vie" est le resultat de huit semaines de travail accompli au Ghana vers la fin de 1967. Ce voyage fut rendu possible grace a une bourse du Conseil des Arts du Canada, bourse qui permit a M. Semak de se rendre egalement en Sierra Leone. Cest en circulant a travers Accra, la capitale, et les localites de Kumasi, Offinso et Kpandu que Semak immortalisa sur pellicule la vie quotidienne du peuple ghaneen. Tour a tour la mer, les villages, ecoles, marches, hopitaux, plages virent le photographe en quete damages sensitives. Ce ne fut pas I'intention de I'artiste de presenter une etude touristique du peuple ghaneen. Capter Lame de ce peuple africain fut plutot son intention et nous croyons qu'il a ete couronne de succes. D'ailleurs Semak commente ainsi sa philosophie professionnelle en disant: "Lorsque je vois, sens et photographie, je m'efforce surtout de faire une analyse psychologique plutot que comparative d'un peuple." Les textes qui accompagnent ces photos sont tires d'un poeme africain The Harvest, Loeuvre de Son Excellence Kwesi Brew, ambassadeur du Ghana au Senegal et poete fort repute en son pays. Nous croyons que cet heureux mariage poesie-photographie est justice rendue a la vitalite ghaneenne.

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Photo —)ohn Reeves

Michael Semak is a free-lance photographer, born in Welland, Ontario, 35 years ago and now residing in Rexdale, Ontario. Following high school graduation in Toronto, he attended Victoria College, University of Toronto, for a year and then moved on to Ryerson Institute of Technology, from which he received his diploma in Architectural Technology. M o v i n g into the field of photography, he soon established himself solidly and has, over the years, received several major assignments; in Appalachia for Time-Life Books; in Tunisia for the National Geographic Magazine; in many places for the National Film Board. This work has taken him to 20 countries in the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia and the resulting photographs have been exhibited many times in Canada and Europe. Le photographe a la pige, Michael Semak, est ne a Welland, en Ontario, il y a trente-cinq ans. II a elu domicile a Rexdale dans la meme province. Apres des etudes secondaires dans la capitale ontarienne, il s'inscrit au college Victoria de I'Universite de Toronto et passe ensuite a I'lnstitut de technologie Ryerson ou il decroche un diplome en technologie architecturale. Tentant sa chance dans le domaine de la photographie, il s'y tail le une excellente reputation et obtient d'impressionnants contrats. Les publications Time-Life I'envoient aux Appalaches, le National Geographic Magazine, en Tunisie et I'Office national du film a plusieurs endroits. Son art le conduisit aussi dans plusieurs pays des Ameriques, en Europe, en Asie et en Afrique. Plusieurs de ses oeuvres ont ete exposees a maintes reprises tant au Canada qu'en Europe.

PHOTOGRAPHERS PHOTOGRAPHE

MICHAEL SEMAK

EDITOR OEDITEUR

LORRAINE MONK

DESIGNERS •

NORMAN HALLENDYand SHARON VAN RAALTE

MAQUETTISTES

POET • POETE

HIS EXCELLENCY MR. KWESI BREW

TRANSLATION • ADAPTATION POETIQUE

GASTON LAPOINTE

PRINT MAKERS