Christopher Effah Oppong, Alice Korkor Ebeheakey, Dickson Adom, Steve Kquof (2024)

Tattooing has been practiced for several years across the world. It is considered an art form that transmits cultural expressions and reflects the differences between groups of people globally. In Ghana, the popularity of contemporary tattooing has soared for various reasons. However, there is little scholarly research on tattoo culture in Ghana. Therefore, the study attempts to appreciate the aesthetic elements of selected contemporary tattoos in Kumasi and Accra metropolitan areas to reveal their social, philosophical, and other underpinnings. Qualitative ethnographic approach was employed in which a total of twenty-two (22) tattooed respondents were obtained for data collection using homogenous purposive and exponential discriminative snowball sampling techniques. Unstructured-Interviews and naturalistic observations constituted the data collection instruments. The study found that contemporary tattoo designs in Kumasi and Accra metropolises diversely included minimalist designs, religious symbols, portraits, decorative designs, philosophical symbols, among others, which aesthetically convey the religious identity, philosophy of life, and self-expression of tattoo wearers. While the study concludes that contemporary tattoo art in Ghana (Kumasi & Accra) is an embodiment of a dynamic and evolving art form that symbolically resonates with the persona, philosophy of life, sociocultural and religious expressions of tattoo wearers, it is recommended that further research should be conducted on the side effect of tattoo art on the health of tattoo wearers in Ghana. This will help determine whether or not tattoo art should be formalised as an acceptable academic field of study as well as be promoted by art institutions, galleries and museums in Ghana.

Alex Kwasi Azaglo, Dickson Adom, Steve Kquofi, Alice Korkor Ebeheakey (2024)

The chiefs and people of the Klikor Traditional Area in the Volta Region of Ghana celebrate the Fiasidi tradition, an annual religious and cultural festival. A yearly ritual performance known as Tagbayiyi (pilgrimage to the sacred grove) is a part of the Fiasidi tradition. Despite the abundance of research relative to the human and cultural rights aspects of the Fiasidi tradition, there is a glaring lack of research on the aesthetic elements reflected in the Tagbayiyi ritual performance. The study investigated the aesthetic aspects of the Tagbayiyi ritual by highlighting its visual and performing arts to gain a deeper understanding of the Anlo-Ewe cultural identity. The study employed a qualitative ethnographic design to interact and access the viewpoints of the participants. A total of fifteen (15) participants, comprising high priests, tradition keepers, ritual functionaries, and supplicants in the Klikor Traditional Area were sampled using a homogenous type of the purposive sampling approach. The study found that the Tagbayiyi exhibits aesthetic elements such as indigenous costume regalia, sacred stools, local beads, priestly emblems, rhythmic and graceful musical dances among others, which symbolically represent the sociocultural identity of the Klikor people. The study, therefore, recommends that the leadership of Klikor (high priests, council of elders & ritual functionaries) should liaise with the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board, Ghana Tourism Authority, National Commission on Culture, and other cultural institutions to preserve and promote the rich aesthetic elements showcased during Tagbayiyi rite for the benefit of the current and future generations of Klikor.

Emmanuel Joel Ayu Nyarko, Kofi Atta Yorke (2024)

This study delves into the utilisation of videos as an educational tool among health workers, specifically, midwives and nursing officers, in Ghana. Despite the prevalence of video-based teaching in health education, scanty attention has been given to this aspect within the Ghanaian context. This research aims to fill this gap by investigating the perspectives and experiences of health officers concerning the integration of videos into their instructional practices. Employing a qualitative descriptive research design, the study was conducted in the Ga South Municipal Assembly (GSMA) of the Greater Accra Region. Maximum variation and expert purposive sampling techniques were used to select twenty-five (25) health officials. Thematic analysis was employed to analyse the gathered data through interviews. The findings revealed a dearth of culturally relevant videos for health education in Ghana, leading health workers to rely on online platforms with unsuitable content and language barriers. The study underscored the necessity for collaboration between the Ghana Health Service, video production experts, health professionals, community leaders, and cultural influencers to develop videos tailored to the needs of the target audience, thereby facilitating effective health education within Ghana, particularly in the GSMA.

Awuni Samuel, Bekoe Gabriel, Owusu Panin Kwame Baah, Donkor Eyram Emmanuel, Opoku-Bonsu Kwame (2023)

Traditional wood carving and contemporary wood sculpture are amicable in the world of art and have coordinated their working ways in shaping the wood art traditions. The study, comparatively, assesses Ahwiaa traditional wood carving and contemporary wood sculpture in Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Ghana based on their materiality, forms and functions. The study adopts descriptive research design using observation, interviews and photography to gather data from twenty (20) purposively sampled experts in the study area. Data collected for the study were transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis tool. The outcome of the study shows that Ahwiaa carvers used locally produced tools for carving while KNUST contemporary carvers employ sophisticated equipment in their carving activities. However, both traditional and contemporary wood practices in the study area used wood as the common material to produce carvings that impact Ghanaian cultural heritage, social progress and artistic practices. The study therefore concludes that traditional and contemporary woodcarving practices in the study area are two interconnected forms of wood art that have the potential to inspire, challenge, and complement each other when collaboration and interdependence exist between them. The study calls for collaboration and interdependence between Ahwiaa traditional wood carvers and KNUST contemporary wood sculptors to inspire and open up exciting opportunities for artistic exploration, adventure, innovation, cross-pollination of ideas and expertise for the growth of wood art in the study area. 

Owusu Panin Kwame Baah, Dickson Adom, Awuni Samuel, Ama Fening Peggy, Nicholas Addo Tetteh (2023)

Various techniques are used by jewellers in Ghana in depositing a film of gold on surfaces of jewellery items. Although traditional goldplating has and continues to chalk a high level of excellence in jewellery making in Ghana, little documentation has been done on it. While traditional goldplating has been practiced for decades in Ghana, the introduction of electroplating into jewellery in Ghana is downplaying its relevance. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to find out how indigenous Asante goldplating technique is done in Ghana. The study adopted the use of an art-based research design under the qualitative research approach where personal interviews, photographs, and participatory observation were used for collecting qualitative data from 19 purposively sampled Asante’s goldsmiths at Manhyia and Ayeduase in Kumasi, Ghana using expert sampling. The findings of the study have shown that traditional gold plating is an aesthetically pleasing, low cost and efficient technique used by the Asante goldsmiths that has not lost its worth. The study contends that skills and knowledge in traditional goldplating should be passed on from goldsmiths to jewellers and other apprentices who are interested in learning the craft. This would help preserve and promote this rich cultural craft for posterity.

Dickson Adom, Emmanuel Jewel Peprah Mensah & Gloria Esi Kportufe (2023)

Palace museums and shrine houses play a crucial role in reconstructing the histories and cultures of people in specific communities. In a broader perspective, palace museums and shrine houses recount the origin, identity, economic and warfare prowess as well as the material culture of a people (Shalima, 2019). Shrine houses are typical to many indigenous Ghanaian communities. However, due to the inter-ethnic wars and the captivation of kingdoms in the colonial era as well as the influx of Christianity, Islam and other foreign religions, most of these shrines are non-existent (Agbiji & Swart, 2015). For instance, in the Ashanti Region of Ghana, there are about ten (10) of these shrines scattered across the region that have been refurbished and inscribed to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) World Heritage List. Besease, Adwinase (Patakro Bonsam), Asawase, Adako Jachie, Bodwease, Abirim, Kentinkrono, Saaman, Asenemanso and Kenyasi Tano Shrines have preserved the spiritual embodiments of these people. The Tano god, according to oral history, is the most revered god among the Asante people, hence a Tano Shrine was found in every community in the Asante Kingdom of Ghana. This is typical in the case of Bodwease where both the shrine and palace museum are opened to visitors. These shrines were believed to inhabit potent spiritual powers and were held in high esteem as well as revered in these communities. They served as a spiritual backbone for the chiefs, hence, these shrine houses are situated close to the palaces of these towns.

Kennedy Asenso & Bismark Yeboah Boasu (2023)

Health risk has received global attention over the years following the socio-economic threats it continuously imposes on people’s livelihoods in both developed and developing countries. In Africa and Ghana to be specific, many continue to use Art as a therapy to manage their health risks though, only a little has been documented in terms of its efficacy. Based on interpretivist’s philosophy, this study employed a qualitative research approach with a descriptive design to assess the efficacy of artistic natural emotional surgery for health risks management in Ghana. In addition to obtrusive observation, personal interviews, and focus group discussions were conducted for respondents who were respectively selected through convenience (n=50) and homogenous purposive (n=10) sampling techniques. The study revealed that artistic natural emotional surgery phenomena are efficacious in releasing the stress of people after its assessment. It was, however, discovered that the potency of artistic emotional surgery has not received much attention it needed. The study, therefore, recommends that the emotional surgery inventor (R. G. Thompson) should collaborate with artists, art therapists, the Ministry of Health, and healthcare professionals to integrate artistic natural emotional surgery into existing treatment plans for various restorations, and accordingly, sensitise the general public about the potential benefits of artistic natural emotional surgery. 

Timothy Mintson, Osuanyi Quaicoo Essel & Ebenezer Acquah (2023)

The study investigated the major fashion trends that have characterised Dipo rite from 1950 to 2019. The narrative and descriptive research designs, under the qualitative approach, were used to investigate the major Dipo dress fashion trends. The sample for the study comprised of four (4) respondents consisting of two (2) traditional rulers knowledgeable in Dipo traditions and customs and have experienced the Dipo rite for at least two decades; one (1) opinion leader, and one (1) photographer who has been a paparazzi during Dipo rites for more than a decade. Interview and non-participant observation constituted the data collection instruments while thematic and descriptive analysis were the analytical tools used. The suboe (red fabric), Kraala (white fabric), wax print and kente Fabrics are some of such materials that signal the major Krobo Dipo dress fashion trends. The dominant presence of the Euro-Christian and Islamic ideological infiltration and stereotyping of the Dipo rite of passage in Ghana has been unsuccessful in depleting Dipo dress cultural practice. Four major stages of Dipo rites were identified with each displaying an array of Dipo dress fashions in observance of the rite. They are the tying of string (sɔni), cleansing initiation (wearing of red loincloth), victory initiation (wearing of white loincloth), and dress-ups (Newuom and kawɔ). The wearing of variations of red and white loincloth, and dress-ups (Newuom and kawɔ) that characterised the last three stages of Dipo rite, revealed interesting stylistic Dipo fashion trends that serve as sources of inspiration for fashion designing. These fashion trends are predominately wraparound with accessories to match. Wax print fabrics were dominant fabrics used by initiates during the first dress-up called Newuom while Kente dominated in use for Kawↄ. The flamboyant public display of Dipo contemporary fashion is undoubtedly a unique advertising platform that textile manufacturing companies in Ghana should take advantage of to market their products.