Chef Mawuli Dzansi Begins Residency at Odo Valley in Busua

Chef Mawuli Dzansi has begun a creative residency at Odo Valley, an artist and chef’s residency located in the heart of Busua, Ghana, marking a new chapter in his interdisciplinary practice centered around food, beverage, culture, and place.

Odo Valley is known for bringing together artists and culinary practitioners in an environment that prioritizes cultural exchange, experimentation, and community engagement. Set within Busua’s coastal landscape, the residency offers Dzansi the opportunity to immerse himself in a setting where everyday life, local knowledge, and creative practice are deeply intertwined.

During the residency, Dzansi will explore food as both medium and message; examining how culinary traditions, ingredients, and communal foodways communicate stories of identity, memory, and heritage. His approach emphasizes process over product, allowing the work to evolve through observation, collaboration, and lived experience within the community.

Busua’s landscape and coastline are expected to play a central role in shaping Dzansi’s research. The town’s relationship to land and sea offers a dynamic context for engaging with questions of sustainability, tradition, and contemporary cultural expression.

According to Odo Valley’s founder, the residency is designed to encourage residents to slow down and respond thoughtfully to their environment. “We create space for artists and chefs to listen, learn, and contribute meaningfully to the environment they work within,” Jean-Baptiste noted.