EA601-439

Chop-chop-chop. The rapid movements of the small hands are accompanied by the sound of a child’s voice imitating the roar of the helicopter. Several other children are looking with fascination – and a little envy – on the boy, who just got this amazing helicopter from his father. What bliss; and how little it takes to thrill… Skills, imagination, and an old soda can is all that is needed to make the day – or even the week – of a child in Accra, Ghana. The toy helicopter is collected by curator Sibba Einarsdóttir and anthropologist Søren Skov Rasmussen in 1997 in Accra. Although similar objects can be purchased in certain ‘fair-trade-shops’ in Denmark, it is not likely that a helicopter made out of recycled materials can be the most priced piece of toy for a Danish child. The object stands as an illustrative example of how far one can go with a little imagination and the rights skills. It is perhaps not rocket science – but still, it is a helicopter…

//Ulrik Høj Johnsen