Six aircraft were parked in the midst of a lush field kilometres from the closest airstrip when a tiny drone with its eyes trained on them flew hundreds of metres over the community of Jenakpeng in northern Ghana.
Abdul-Latif Zakaria, a 16-year-old resident of Jenakpeng, stood with his father Danaa in the shadow of a vintage Antonov cropduster, one of six aircraft that internationally acclaimed artist Ibrahim Mahama has converted into a communal learning centre.
Mahama added the planes to his Red Clay Studio, a large estate that serves as an open-door education centre, in 2021 with the money from sales totaling $1 million. Throughout the academic year, thousands of students attend free lectures on topics including the physics of flight, computer science, fundamental engineering, and more.
The institution, which Mahama established in his father's town to provide inhabitants the chance to foster critical thinking - a quality he feels is important for artistic and personal liberty - is not so much about inspiring artists as it is about developing thinkers, the artist said.
Children who develop distinct thought patterns from their elders are a step in the direction of an impending transformation in our society, he added.
Red Clay has a number of warehouse-sized structures constructed using recycled materials and red clay bricks obtained locally.
It also serves as Mahama's private studio, where he creates pieces that ultimately fetch hundreds or even millions of dollars.
The choice of materials is characteristic of Mahama, who built his reputation by recycling discarded items like industrial and shoe polish boxes.and machinery into monumental monuments of modern art.
For Zakaria, who has been coming to Red Clay every day since he was a toddler, the centre allows local kids to study subjects that would otherwise be off-limits to them, fostering their self-confidence and educating them about who they are.
The planes represent a better future to his father Danaa, who has grown passionate about flying while serving as Red Clay's caregiver.
He grinned and continued, "Before [the planes] came, I thought aircrafts were little, like a bird. "We are sowing the seeds of a future generation here... And when you plant excellent seeds, they will germinate the next day, inshAllah (if Allah wills it).