Francis Ankyiah (2025)

This paper examines historical Black exotic imagery through Nsasawa mixed-media interactive project. In the Akan words Nsasawa represents a process of interlinking or interweaving cloths/traditions. Digital arrangements of West African Kente cloth and wax print fabrics placed over 17th-19th century Black exoticism partings from British art galleries attempt to establish a connection between past and present while taking back authority from these historical portraits. Through the digital collage and patching process, sensors are woven into the fabric overlay to create an interactive space where the viewers movement activates various layered responses that speak to contemporary issues of representation, memory, and the “uncanny” aspects of these exoticised depictions. The outcomes offer a critical re-envisioning that connects the exoticised subject positions directly to postcolonial theories by scholars like Frantz Fanon, Homi Bahbah, and Paul Gilroy regarding identity, cultural hybridity and the spectral remains of colonialism that linger into the present. By invoking the Akan concept of “Nsasawa,” this mixed-media project aims to re-weave these archival hauntings from the past into a thoughtful, interactive experience that demands an engagement with how such fetishised representations live on to shape cultural fantasies and fears regarding Blackness today. The outcomes explore what truths may lie beneath these ghostly images through a digital patching process that creates an uncanny space of the exoticised subjects represented, reanimating them through an artist-fabric-sensor reworking to speak back from another temporal and cultural position.

Daniel Ato Adubah (2025)

Traditional firewood kilns remain central to artisanal pottery across sub-Saharan Africa, yet their energy inefficiencies and emissions remain largely unquantified. This study integrates thermodynamic and systems theory approaches to assess the sustainability performance of 19 firewood kilns at the Mfensi Pottery Centre in Ghana. Field measurements and user interviews revealed that kiln thermal efficiency ranged between 12.4% and 21.6%, with mean firewood consumption of 0.82 kg kg?¹ of fired clay. High heat losses through uninsulated walls and uncontrolled airflow contributed to excess CO? emissions of 2.3-3.1 kg kg?¹ output, underscoring both technological and behavioural inefficiencies. Applying systems feedback analysis, the study highlights how socio-economic constraints reinforce technological stagnation and unsustainable biomass dependence. It recommends locally adaptable insulation retrofits and standardized kiln designs that could enhance efficiency by over 35%, supporting Ghana’s transition toward low-carbon artisanal industries and the broader Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 7, 12, and 13).

Bright Essel (2025)

This paper presents the Anthora (Anthology of Songs) conceptual framework, a model designed to guide kindergarten teachers in the systematic selection, categorisation, and application of indigenous songs for holistic child development. Developed in response to the 2019 Ghanaian Kindergarten Curriculum’s emphasis on an integrated approach to the 4Rs (Reading, wRiting, aRithmetic, and cReative arts), the framework addresses a critical gap in teachers’ pedagogical resources and skills. A qualitative case study in the Gomoa Central District, incorporating observations and interviews with 40 teachers, culminated in the collection and thematic categorisation of 78 indigenous Akan songs. The Anthora framework demonstrates how these songs can be strategically used to foster cognitive (numeracy, literacy), psychomotor (movement, coordination), and affective (moral values, cultural identity) development. This paper outlines the framework’s structure, provides exemplar songs and teaching activities, and argues for its potential to make learning more meaningful, contextually relevant, and aligned with the goals of the national curriculum.

Kayode Morohunfola (2025)

In the last over one and a half centuries of the growth and development of African Art Music Compositions, composers have depended on a number of preexisting materials as thematic materials in their syncretic compositions. Some of these materials are African folk music, traditional songs, rhythm and melodies that recalls traditional scenes, African hymnodies and common liturgical choruses. Most of the liturgical choruses used by these composers have been passed down through the ages by rote method, which is largely due to the inability of the composers to notate their ideas. Some of these art music composers who have depended on common liturgical choruses in their compositions, apart from producing artistic works that their audience can easily comprehend with, breaking barriers of musical cultures, they also succeeded in documenting and archiving these choruses unknowingly through using one of the best means of documentation, which is the staff notation (scoreography). This research is premised on the framework of Archival science theory. The work will be focused on some Choral Art music compositions of Sunday Olawuwo, Kayode Oguntade and Gbenga Obagbemi. The primary materials used in the three compositions are some common Yoruba liturgical choruses. In other to achieve the goal of this qualitative research, I depended largely on the staff notation of those music under focus, I also depended on direct interviews, interview through social media devices such as WhatsApp and Facebook as primary sources of eliciting information. My secondary sources of eliciting materials are bibliographical materials such as textbooks, journals, magazines and some internet sources. The work looked into some of the compositional tools used in achieving African authenticity of the intercultural liturgical choral composition. This research recommends a furtherance of African compositional musicology through artistic rebranding, archiving and documentation of preexisting liturgical choruses.

Tayo Simeon Arinde (2025)

This paper explores “Kwame-nis!”, Kwame Nkrumah’s leadership dynamics, exemplified in Femi Osofisan’s Nkrumah-ni!…Africa-ni! The approach is seen a facsimile of the conventional method of Play Directing, theatrically accentuated in the play. When “Kwame-nis!” is juxtaposed with play making methodology, it is a replica of the conventional play directing approach, which this paper advocates as a leadership loom for Nigerian leaders. A qualitative research design approach, complimented with the tool of descriptive and textual analysis were the methodology through which the primary data of this work were drawn. Transformational Leadership Theory of James MacGregor Burns (1978) is employed to analyse the visionary disposition of Kwame Nkrumah leadership dynamics, juxtaposed with the conventional directing style in the dramaturgical analysis of Osofisan in Nkrumah-ni…Africa-ni! The paper finds that in play directing are deeply seated leadership model the replica of what Nkrumah’s “Kwame-nis!” leadership style typifies for leaders’ world over. The paper therefore, concluded that play directing is a lens through which the concept of leadership is exponentially made visible to the world. It, therefore, recommended that more professional registers should be explored as a medium of communication and pathways to demonstrating ethics in governance for leaders in Africa.

Johnson Kwaku Edu (2025)

In contemporary academic institutions, the integration of indigenous cultural symbolism into formal ceremonies serves as a critical mechanism for preserving heritage and fostering community inclusion. Situated within this context, the distinct cultural heritage of the Effutu municipality and the academic ceremonies at the University of Education, Winneba, offer a unique framework for examining this synergy. This paper explores the artistic design, construction, and theatrical integration of the Aboakyer Deer, a sacred symbol of the Effutu people, in the Chancellor’s Investiture ceremony at the University of Education, Winneba (UEW). Adopting a studio-based research paradigm and an aesthetic-action research design, the project documents the technical and creative processes involved in translating a cultural icon into a functional theatrical property (prop). The creation process was theoretically grounded in Csikszentmihalyi’s Flow theory, highlighting the psychological immersive state required for artistic production. The paper details the construction techniques, utilising foam, synthetic fur, and structural engineering, to achieve a realistic representation suitable for ceremonial display. Findings indicate that the visual presence of the constructed Deer enhanced the aesthetic spectacle of the investiture and successfully bridged the gap between academic traditions and the host community’s customs. The paper concludes that fusing traditional iconography with academic rites cultivates a sense of identity and cultural pride, validating prop construction as a vital form of scholarly and cultural practice within institutional storytelling.

Baba Haruna (2025)

The relationship between live and mediated has evolved to become a subject of increasing scholarly interest, particularly in the digital era, where access to theatre performance can be provided by media technology such as film, television, video, internet and handheld devices. Whereas live theatre relies on spatial compresence and temporal simultaneity, mediated theatre depends on technology to reach remote audiences. However, how such a relationship manifests in terms of positive and negative effects has remained largely underexplored. This study seeks to explore the symbiotic relationship between the two forms, using the botanical concepts of metamorphosis and the epiphyte. The main objective is to establish whether the relationship between live and mediated theatre in the Ghanaian context is parasitic, mutualistic and communalistic. Using a qualitative research approach, the study employs semi-structured interviews with theatre practitioners, digital media practitioners, as well as live and remote theatre audiences to establish how the rapid growth and development of media technology has impacted the fortunes of live theatre in Ghana. The research is anchored on the concept of the epiphyte to provide a deeper understanding of how the rapid development of media transmission technology affects audience choices, theatrical authenticity and artistic integrity of theatre. The study aims to contribute to scholarly discourse on the future of live theatre in the digital era. The findings inform theatre practitioners, scholars and policy makers on strategies to sustain theatre in Ghana.

Godfred Sackey (2025)

One of the significant musical artefacts that emerged from Ghanaian–European socio-cultural encounters in the nineteenth century was the art song; a composition for solo voice and piano typically set to poetry or narrative text. Art songs provide a platform for individual performers to demonstrate vocal artistry and interpretive skill. In contemporary Ghana, however, art song composition and performance have received limited attention, overshadowed by the proliferation of choral music. Existing scholarship suggests that, apart from the pioneering works of Ephraim Amu and J.H. Kwabena Nketia, relatively few Ghanaian composers have created contemporary art songs suited to the audiences of the twenty-first century. This article presents new art song compositions in different Ghanaian languages and for varied vocal ranges, with the aim of fostering accessibility and appreciation within the Ghanaian context. The study further provides formal analyses of the works to illuminate the compositional techniques and stylistic approaches employed. Using purposive sampling and document analysis of the compositions and related texts, the study highlights creative possibilities in Ghanaian art music. In this regard, it seeks to encourage solo vocal performance, stimulate compositional exploration, and expand research into art song as a vital dimension of Ghana’s contemporary art music practice.

Abdulmalik Adakole Amali (2025)

The design of traditional Nigerian theatre has undergone a notable evolution, serving as a mirror of the nation’s rich and diverse cultural heritage. Rooted in indigenous values, beliefs, and communal practices, Nigerian theatre has historically extended beyond mere performance to embody social, spiritual, and architectural expressions of identity. This research article examines the significant impact of indigenous cultural practices on the development of Nigerian theatre design, staging methods, and performance locations. It further investigates how local traditions, rituals, and community-centered performance modes have shaped both the physical and symbolic dimensions of theatrical spaces. This way, the study highlights the adaptability and resilience of Nigerian theatre in the face of colonial influences and modern innovations. Drawing from literature and contextual review, this paper highlights the distinctive nature and flexibility of Nigerian theatre architecture while also exploring its role as a living repository of cultural memory.

Kofi Anthonio (2025)

This paper delves into the intricate relationship between personal dance experience and pedagogical practice, asserting that “my dancing reflects your teaching.” Employing an autobiographical approach, it meticulously describes and analyses diverse teaching methods and techniques prevalent in dance pedagogy, particularly within an African context. Drawing from childhood encounters, formal student training, and current experiences as a dance educator, this paper explores the profound influences of master teachers and communal learning environments. It concludes by proposing culturally resonant and practically applicable teaching methods, emphasising the holistic transmission of indigenous knowledge, values, and contemporary expressions in African dance education.