Claim: A Facebook user shared photos of murals he claimed are in Accra and attributed them to President Akufo-Addo’s daughter, Gyankroma Akufo-Addo in Accra, Ghana.
Verdict: False. The photos are not from Ghana but Argentina. The paintings were painted by an Argentine artist, Martin Ron, not Gyankroma Akufo-Addo.
Full text:
A Facebook user, posting with username Abubakar Baba Bawumia, on Thursday, November 12, 2020, uploaded photos of colourful paintings at an interchange.
He attributed the designs to President Akufo-Addo’s daughter, Gyankroma Akufo-Addo, and said the paintings were done in Accra.
“Nana Addo’s daughter, Gyankroma Akufo-Addo brightens up the city with fantastic works of art! This is Accra!” the post caption reads.
The post on his wall has more than 600 reactions and over 2,800 reactions in a pro-New Patriotic Party Facebook group he shared it in.
It is important to note that the user has consistently shared pro-NPP government materials on his wall.
Who is Gyankroma Akufo-Addo?
Gyankroma Akufo-Addo is the first daughter of President Akufo-Addo and is currently the Director of Ghana’s Creative Arts Council.
Earlier this year, she, under the auspices of the Council facilitated the ‘Arts for All’ project which saw interchanges within Accra decorated with beautiful paintings.
Verification:
A Google reverse image search matched the photos to ones shared on September 3, 2020, by an Argentine muralist, Ron Martin.
The artist uploaded the photos on his Facebook page, Ron Muralist.
Additionally, a website for finding businesses and local places identified the painting as one done by Ron Martin.
In fact, some of the photos, such as this had his name, “Martin Ron” written on them.
Using local clues in Martin Ron’s post, we were able to find the exact location of his painting in Argentina on Google Maps. It is at Av. del Libertador – Vicente López, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Conclusion:
Abundant evidence available shows that the photos shared by the Facebook user are not from Accra as he claims but rather Argentina. Also, the paintings are not in any way related to President Akufo-Addo’s daughter, Gyankroma. They are the works of 39-year-old Argentine street artist, Martin Ron.
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The reporter, Jonas Nyabor, produced this fact-check under the auspices of the Dubawa 2020 Fellowship in partnership with Citinewsroom to facilitate the ethos of “truth” in journalism and to enhance media literacy in the country.