JOURNAL OF AFRICAN ARTS AND CULTURE

Academic rites and cultural symbolism: Artistic representation of the Aboakyer Deer for the University of Education, Winneba Chancellor’s Investiture

Johnson Kwaku Edu — 2026-01-11

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.

‘Kwame-nis!’, Nkrumah’s leadership dynamics, a facsimile of play directing in Osifisan’s Nkrumah-ni!…Africa-ni!: Panacea for Nigeria leaders

Tayo Simeon Arinde — 2026-01-11

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.

Archiving Yoruba liturgical choruses through art music compositions: A survey of some selected art music compositions

Kayode Morohunfola — 2026-01-11

Volume 8 Issue 4 December 31, 2025 DOI: https://doi.org//10.63102/jaac.v8i4.202518 https://jaac-sca.org ISSN 2637-3610 Abstract 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.

Anthora: A conceptual framework for integrating indigenous songs into the kindergarten curriculum in Ghana

Bright Essel — 2026-01-11

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.

Sustainability and fuel consumption patterns in traditional firewood kilns: Implications for the pottery industry in Ghana

Daniel Ato Adubah — 2026-01-11

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).

Nsasawa: A mixed-media interactive re-envisioning black exoticism in Ghanaian socio-political archives

Francis Ankyiah — 2026-01-11

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.

Libation is performed, not “poured”

Noble Nkrumah-Abraham — 2026-01-11

Libation, as an ancient cultural and spiritual ritual, has been a universal practice amongst most cultures and civilisations across the globe since time immemorial. It is generally characterised by offering wine, food portions or other specified liquids with the intention of invoking and soliciting assistance from spirit beings. Similarly, in the Ghanaian context, libation is a form of prayer or ritual that follows a standard procedure. Unfortunately, many authors, in their definition, have sidelined the main purpose of libatory ritual, which is the verbal utterances to merely the drink/food offering; thereby eschewing the verbal recitals, which is the emphasis. This is a great misrepresentation of this cultural heritage and sacred ritual. It further undermines the essence of the protocols involved in the procedure. This ethnographic study brings clarity to the appropriate terminology for defining libation to suit the socio-cultural Ghanaian context. It underscores that libation is not merely the arbitrary pouring of liquid/food offering to spirit beings, but a scripted, directed and guided art and tradition which is meticulously performed.

Social class and vowel variation in Ghanaian English: A sociophonetic study of some ESL university students

Edward Nii Mac-Palm — 2026-01-11

The English language has spread far and wide and has resulted in various varieties, each with a distinct linguistic characteristic. In light of this linguistic evolution, the need for codifying Ghanaian English has become very important. This study explores vowel variation in Ghanaian English (GhaE) from a sociophonetic perspective, with a focus on three vowel sets: GOOSE, NURSE, and TRAP. While utilizing acoustic analysis, the study investigates how vowel quality and duration vary based on participant’s social class and gender among some selected Ghanaian university students who speak English as a Second Language (ESL). Data were collected from twenty (20) participants at the University of Ghana, evenly distributed by gender and social class. Findings reveal that social class significantly affects both vowel quality and duration, with working-class speakers showing longer vowel duration and more centralised vowel qualities. The study contributes to the codification of GhaE and highlights the role of social class and gender in shaping linguistic forms in English as a Second Language (ESL) varieties.

‘One vagina kills the penis’: Exploring Urhobo and Isoko attitudes towards polygamy

Eyankuaire Moses Darah — 2026-01-11

This study examines the attitudes of the Urhobo and Isoko people towards polygamy, with a focus on the cultural significance of the proverb, ‘Ohoro ?vo hwe osh?’, literally one virgin kills the penis. This phrase, rooted in traditional mythology, suggests that a man's habitual sexual encounter with only one woman can lead to the devastating consequence of non-erection. This research investigates how this belief influences Urhobo and Isoko attitudes towards promiscuity in general and polygamy in particular, including their perceptions of marital fidelity, sexual purity, and male virility. Through a qualitative analysis of interviews and focus groups, this study provides insights into the complex cultural dynamics underlying Urhobo and Isoko attitudes towards sexual promiscuity.

The Kakube festival of Nandom Traditional Area: Origin, musical traditions, and educational relevance in Ghana

Cosmas Nimbaaru — 2026-01-11

Despite Ghana’s rich indigenous festivals and musical traditions, many remain under-documented and insufficiently integrated into formal educational frameworks, leading to the marginalisation of indigenous knowledge systems in cultural and music education. The Kakube Festival of the Nandom Traditional Area is a vibrant cultural event that embodies the community’s historical consciousness, musical heritage, and social values; yet its educational relevance has received limited scholarly attention. This study explores the origins, musical traditions, and educational relevance of the Kakube Festival, with particular emphasis on its role in cultural identity formation, social cohesion, and community development. Adopting a qualitative research approach, the study examines the festival’s distinctive musical traditions, including indigenous drumming, singing and dance practices, and analyses their functions in cultural transmission, socialisation, and communal participation. The findings reveal that Kakube musical performances do not only serve as artistic expressions but also as informal educational tools through which history, values and collective identity are communicated across generations. This study underscores the importance of repositioning local cultural practices as valuable resources for holistic education and sustainable community development in Ghana.

The creative arts pedagogy as a developmental tool for student-teachers in Ghana’s colleges of education: A case study of Gbewaa college of education

Wisdom Taylor — 2026-01-11

Creative Arts education in Ghanaian Colleges of Education has not received the recognition it deserves due to societal perceptions that associate it solely with individuals deemed naturally talented. This misconception has contributed to a decline in student interest and institutional support, particularly following its merger with Physical Education in the curriculum. Additionally, inadequate structures and resources hinder the effective implementation of creative arts education, especially at Gbewaa College of Education. This study, therefore, examined the role of Creative Arts pedagogy in the professional development of student teachers, comparing those enrolled in Creative Arts courses with their counterparts from other disciplines during their teaching practice. Data were gathered through interviews and classroom teaching observations using a qualitative research approach. A sample of 20 respondents was drawn from both Creative Arts and Non-Creative Arts student teachers using a quota sampling technique; the results provided insights into the impact of Creative Arts courses on the teaching skills of the student teachers during their teaching practice. It was revealed that Creative Arts courses enhance student teachers’ creative and problem-solving abilities, adaptability, and capacity for differentiated learning, which are key components of Ghana’s inclusivity policy in education. The study recommended the need for curriculum planners to intensify the place of Creative Arts in the Curriculum by making it compulsory for all level 100s in the Colleges of Education in Ghana, and also called for institutional support and resource allocation to strengthen Creative Arts pedagogy in Gbewaa College of Education.