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The Triple Bottom Line of Printing Enterprises in Accra: Evaluating Economic Performance, Environmental Sustainability and Social Responsibility
Get PDFThe printing industry in Ghana plays a vital role in economic
development but is increasingly scrutinised for its environmental and
social impact. Despite global momentum toward sustainable enterprise
models, limited research exists on how Ghanaian printing firms integrate
economic, environmental, and social goals. This study addresses that
gap by investigating the sustainability practices of printing enterprises
in Accra using the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) framework. Grounded in
Stakeholder Theory, it explores the perspectives of press owners as key
actors influencing sustainable practices within the sector. A qualitative
case study design was employed, involving semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, document analysis, and observation. Twelve experienced participants were purposively selected from three major printing hubs: Accra New Town (5), Kokomlemle (4), and Kotobabi (3). Findings show that economic priorities dominate operational decisions, while environmental efforts are limited due to financial and regulatory barriers. Social responsibility varies by enterprise size, with larger firms demonstrating more structured CSR engagement. Furthermore, inconsistent stakeholder involvement has led to gaps in policy implementation. The study concludes that embedding sustainability nto operational strategies is essential for long-term sector resilience. It recommends strengthening stakeholder collaboration, implementing policy incentives to support green practices, and raising awareness of sustainable business models. The findings offer valuable insights for policymakers, industry leaders, and sustainability advocates aiming to advance responsible business practices in Ghana’s printing sector
Sacred Ceramics: Investigating the Production and Significance of Ewe Ritual Ceramics in Ghana
Get PDFThis article outlines the beginnings of a new study of the ritual ceramics
of Ewe traditional religious practices in Ghana, which play a unique role in
the visual expression of indigenous Ewe worldview and cosmology. Ritual
ceramics are fundamental to indigenous religious practices of Ewe and are
worthy of examination yet have not received significant attention from
scholars. In African-Atlantic religion, handmade pottery is being usurped by
commercial ware, but the tradition remains vibrant in Ghana. The author’s
position as a practicing artist with experience in making pottery for African
religious practitioners in the US, and 20 years studying West African and
African Diaspora religions, give a unique perspective to this study
Lost in the Mix: A (Hi)story of Music in Ghanaian Basic Education
Get PDFIn Ghana, music as a formal subject of study occupies the periphery of the
curriculum. While a number of reasons account for this, the article highlights
the one which has eluded the radar as far as Ghanaian music education
scholarship is concerned. This reason is that music has not been given
adequate exposure in terms of official policy on education in Ghana, to
prove its worth. Based on the mere exposure theory, the article reviewed
the major provisions for various educational reforms/ordinances passed
for basic schools in Ghana from 1852 to 2007 and focused on the place of
music in each of them. The study revealed that since 1852 (when the first
educational ordinance was passed under a colonial government in the then
Gold Coast) up to 1959, there was no official policy on music education in the
basic school curriculum in Ghana. Music was introduced in 1987 as part of
the Cultural Studies Syllabus. It was made to stand on its own as a subject in 1994, but the syllabus for the programme was not ready until 1998. Nine years after in the introduction of this syllabus however, music lost the status
of being a single subject in the basic schools as it was made a part of the
horizontal interdisciplinary integrated curriculum of Creative Arts
Indigenous Knowledge Systems In Traditional Musical Instruments: The Sculptor’s Contribution
Get PDFTraditional musical instruments have been handed down from generation
to generation although in most instances there has been a change in its
development and production. Sculptors, over the years have played a
very vital role in the making of such musical instruments. For someone
to be able to make a music instrument, the person needs to have an idea
about the material and its characteristics. This article establishes the link
between traditional musical instruments and the sculptor as a depository
of indigenous knowledge systems in music. Through qualitative research
approach, it employed descriptive research design and aesthetic analysis
as for the processes used in the making of some of the traditional musical
instruments; and the symbolic meaning of material content in describing
these music instruments for indigenous knowledge systems respectively. Data
were collected through face-to-face interview and observation. Sculptors, specifically carvers, in the production of traditional musical instruments and
music artiste from the music fraternity were purposively sampled. It was
observed that beliefs and practices of Africa were seen as richest cultural
systems, which were practised through the arts with traditional musical
instruments. It recommended that traditional musical instruments should be
seen as an important artifact. Particularly, its material compositions from an
artistic point of view, serve as an indigenous knowledge system by providing
artists and the users with mastery of cultural identity and edification
Adaptation of Indigenous Structural Textile Designs for Textile Prints: The Case of Selected Fugu Fabric Designs
Get PDFThis article concerns itself with the adaptation of some selected indigenous
structural fugu fabric designs for textile prints. The objective of the study is to
adapt the structural design concepts of Daboya fugu fabrics into fabric prints
and fabricate fashion items from the adapted prints produced. The practice
adopted the studio practice-based research design where an artefact is to
be created with descriptions to give an understanding of the creation. Data
was collected through interview and observation. The sampling techniques
used for the study were purposive and convenience and a sample size of
seventy (70) respondents were engaged. Findings revealed that the surface
effects of structural designs from fugu fabrics can be adapted and produced
with printing techniques and still maintain their unique characteristics. It
was also noted that the applied designs were still recognisable by majority
of users as true resemblance of the structural fugu fabric designs. The study recommended that Textile artists should draw inspiration from other cultural
structural designs like kente, adinkra and others and develop design concepts
for contemporary usage and applications. It was also recommended that
educators in textile study should encourage more adapted designs from
indigenous textiles and make them beneficial to the country in terms of
economy gains through exports
Kinetic Art: An Appraisal of Kinetic Sculpture Practice in Nigeria
Get PDFKinetic art is a genre that artists explore to create motion in their works. There
are two types of kinetic sculpture practices existing in Nigeria. The first is the
traditional kinetic sculpture practice which is the earliest type. The second
type is the contemporary kinetic sculpture practice. The first is generally
referred to as traditional masquerade that requires human actuation. It
is currently being threatened by the emergence of foreign religion and
modernity that has classified them as fetish. While, the second type of
sculpture practice that needs stimuli such as mechanical, electrical devices;
or natural means such as wind or air-current has not been fully entrenched
in Nigerian artistic environment. This paper therefore x-rayed these kinetic
sculpture practices in Nigeria with a view to highlighting their importance
to the socio-cultural and economic development of contemporary Nigeria.
Some selected traditional and contemporary kinetic sculptures were critically appraised to determine their character, roles and prospects in contemporary
Nigeria society. It was observed that masquerades which were found in
most cultures in Nigeria are gradually going extinct. While very little impact
has been made in contemporary kinetic sculpture. If both traditional and
contemporary sculpture practices are preserved, harnessed and synergised,
they would bring about radical kinetic art sensibility in Nigerian artistic
landscape and boost tourism potentials for Nigeria
Political Systems and Educational Policy: A Reflection of Dance Education in Ghana
Get PDFDance education in Ghana has undergone rapid transformation as a result
of the dynamic political atmosphere Ghana has experienced over the period
covering pre-colonial and post-colonial eras. During the pre-colonial era,
dance was an integral part of the worldview of communities in Ghana and
its education was viewed as a critical aspect of the continued survival of the
communities. As power shifted into the hands of the colonial masters, the
promotion of indigenous performing arts, including dance, were seriously
marginalised. Efforts expended to revitalise dance education in Ghana,
during the post-colonial era, has achieved little success, particularly at the
basic and secondary levels of the educational system. This paper is a review
dance education as it existed before the advent of Europeans on the soil of
Ghana, the colonial as well as the post-colonial eras. The history is presented
within the framework of the critical education theory, which postulates power negotiation and its rippling effect on educational policies. Varied
political systems that have spun over the history of Ghana and their impact in
the promotion of dance education in Ghana are reviewed. Reflections indicate
that political power and systems have the ability to control the development
of a philosophy that guides the policies and practices of educational system in
Ghana. Possible implications are that if efforts are not expended to revitalise
dance education in Ghana then this aspect of Ghanaian culture is heading
towards extinction
FROM RESISTANCE TO RENEWAL: FRAMING THE NEW GENERATION OF AFRICAN INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE FILMS AS SIXTH CINEMA
Get PDFThis paper proposes Sixth Cinema as a critical theoretical framework for understanding a new wave of Indigenous African filmmaking that transcends existing cinematic categories (First through Fifth Cinema). Drawing on two case studies, Gonda Sheje and Seven Doors, the paper argues that these films are grounded in African cosmology, ritual structure and spiritual ontology, which does not only centre on conflict or realism but also on healing, ancestral justice and land-based sacredness. Through analysis, the study highlights how these films employ symbolism, indigenous language as epistemology, cyclical temporality, and spiritual narrative logic to reclaim sovereignty over African cultural representation. By this, the paper contributes to decolonial film discourse and expands the intellectual vocabulary for analysing African cinematic expressions rooted in cosmological continuity and intergenerational memory. Ultimately, the study affirms that Sixth Cinema is not merely a new aesthetic movement but a paradigm of indigenous imagination and epistemic renewal
“MISE GLI LOO”: ILLUSTRATIONS FROM THE MUSICAL FABLE SELF-SERVING, PREDICATED ON THE MUSICO-DRAMATIC GENRE OF STORYTELLING
Get PDFThis paper examines Mise Gli Loo, the opening chorus of Self-Serving: A
Musical Fable, as a creative embodiment of E?e storytelling traditions within
contemporary African art music. Grounded in Acquah’s (2019)
Anansegorndwom compositional model and informed by indigenous
performance structures, the study analyses how traditional narrative
practices such as call-and-response, antiphonal texture, and tonal language
inflections are transformed into a modern musico-dramatic form. Drawing on
practice-based research methodology, the work explores how African oral
tradition can inform compositional processes, musical structure, and
community engagement in performance. Through detailed analysis of rhythm,
melody, texture, and harmony, the paper reveals how Mise Gli Loo functions
not only as a musical invocation but also as a vessel for cultural memory and
moral reflection. The findings contribute to ongoing conversations around the
integration of indigenous African aesthetics into formal art music composition
and pedagogy
Skills and Usage of the Inquiry-Based Technique to Achieve the Learning Philosophy of the Social Studies Curriculum: Perspective of Junior High School Social Studies Teachers in Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese District.
Get PDFInquiry-based learning is a teaching method that encourages students to become active learners through asking questions, investigating and analyzing information, and drawing conclusions. As a result, Social Studies instruction has moved from the teacher-centred method to a learner centred method to encourage students to construct their own knowledge and ideas about contemporary persistent problems of the society. This shift in teaching method demands teaching technique that creates the enabling classroom environment that enhances the development of critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills among learners. To effectively utilize the inquiry-based technique in the teaching of Social Studies, teachers must first develop their own skills in questioning, researching and analyzing data to guide learners question the truth and authenticate the accuracy, trustworthiness, validity and reliability of the information in the course of lesson delivery. The actualization of the relevance of the inquiry-based is dependent on the skills and competence of Social Studies teachers. It is therefore imperative to examine from the perspective of Junior High School Social Studies teachers; how the inquiry based technique is used to facilitate students’ acquisition of core competencies. The descriptive survey design was adopted for this study. Also, the census survey and convenience sampling were employed at different stages of the study. The study's findings revealed the existence of knowledge and practical gaps in possession of inquiry-based skills and usage among Social Studies teachers in the Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese District of Ghana. Based on the study findings, it is recommended that Junior High Schools Social Studies teachers undergo a three week workshop to bridge the identified theoretical and practical gap. For meaningful learning to thrive, Social Studies teachers can facilitate discussions and guide students towards making connections between different information envisaged to ignite critical thinking, innovativeness, collaboration, communication, problem-solving, leadership traits, and curiosity among student