Symposium Performing Culture. The Politics and Aesthetics of Cultural Expression in Contemporary Ghana

Amsterdam, 13 & 14 June 2002.

Report

1. Introduction

In the context of the 2001/2002 celebrations of 300 years of diplomatic relations between Ghana and the Netherlands, the Netherlands-based Ghana Studies Group took the initiative to organize an international symposium on 'Performing Culture. The Politics and Aesthetics of Cultural Expression in Contemporary Ghana'. Generously sponsored by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the symposium took place at the Royal Tropical Institute (KIT) in Amsterdam on 13 and 14 June 2002. It included a number of prominent Ghanaian, Dutch and other international scholars and a variety of cultural performances, images and artefacts were presented to a broad audience. This report reviews the symposium's proceedings and presents some of the insights gained from the scholarly and public discussions.

2. Organization and set-up

A scientific and organizing committee was formed out of the membership of the Ghana Studies Group whose responsibility it was to take the initiative further, to discuss budgeting with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs - more specifically its project bureau dealing with the tercentenary celebrations - and to liaise with the international scholars who had been invited to take part in the symposium. This committee consisted of Dr. R. van Dijk (ASC), chair, Dr. B. Meyer (UvA), Dr. V. Mazzucato (VU, UvA), Drs. M. Steegstra (KUN) and Mr. J. Nuamah (a representative of the Ghanaian community of the Hague). In its composition the committee reflected the various institutes and. organizations collaborating in the symposium. It liased with KIT for the actual logistics of the conference as well as for the organization of the performances on stage that formed part of the symposium. The committee received secretarial and administrative support from the ASC. The ASC also took on responsibility for the symposium’s budget and has already submitted a financial report to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (letter dated 12 September 2002, ref. B02.026/080.1).

Rijk van Dijk, African Studies Centre, initiator of the symposium. Ato Quayson, Director African Studies Programme, University of Cambridge.

The symposium consisted of two distinct but complementary parts: on the one hand sessions of scholarly reflections on the theme of the conference, and on the other a number of presentations of examples of present-day popular culture in Ghana and in the Ghanaian diaspora. For the academic sessions, a number of distinguished Ghanaian scholars were invited from Ghana, the U.K. and the U.S. and speakers also came from other European countries such as Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands. In addition, Mr. K. Fletcher, representing some of the Ghanaian organizations in Amsterdam, was invited to chair one of the sessions. The performance sessions included the featuring of highlife music by a Ghanaian musical group, the screening of a documentary film on the development of highlife music as a popular form of performing culture in Ghana, the reading of poetry by one of Ghana's most prominent poets, and a visit to the KIT children’s museum which has displays of the heritage of chiefly traditions in Ghana. The programme opened with a word of welcome by the Ghanaian ambassador to the Netherlands, Her Excellency Dr. Grace Amponsah-Ababio. As the programme (see appendix) shows, the key-note address was delivered by Prof. Dr. A Quayson, the director of the Africa studies programme at Cambridge University.

The following scholars and papers were presented in the academic sessions:

- Dr. J. Collins (Ghana) 'Ghanaian Christianity and popular entertainment: full circle'

- Dr. K. Senah (Ghana) 'In the name of Jesus: health seeking and Pente-charismatic movements in Ghana'

- Dr. B. Sackey (Ghana) 'Charismatic Churches as Expression of Popular Culture: The Art of Testimony - Giving in African Religious Movements in Ghana.

- Prof. Dr. A. Okai (Ghana) 'The Politics of Poetic Aesthetics and the Ideostructural Symbolism in the Works of Atukwei Okai'

- Dr. S. Clarke-Ekong (USA) 'Reflection, reconciliation, and renaissance: Ghanaian Festivals Live On'

- Dr. J. Hasty (USA) 'Tourism, Asante, and the Performance of Wealth: National Culture and Transnational Heritage in Ghana'

- V. Arlt, MA (Switzerland) „The Scholars’ Dance”. Popular Culture and the Appropriation of Christianity on the South-eastern Gold Coast, c.1890-1918.

- Prof. Dr. A. Quayson (UK) 'Conversions of the Gift: Preface to an analysis of Ghanaian Popular Culture'

- Dr. K. Schramm (Germany) 'From the Ghana dance ensemble to the national dance company: the dynamics of changing cultural representations'

- Dr. R. van Dijk & J. Nuamah (Netherlands) 'Radiating Culture: Ghanaian migrant radio and the transmission of culture in the diaspora'

- M. Kraamer, MA (Netherlands) 'The Internationalisation of Kente'

- Dr. B. Meyer (Netherlands) 'Fighting the Devil on Screen. Ghanaian videofilms and the representation of local religious traditions'

- M. Steegstra, MA (Netherlands) "Modify Cultural Practices!" Dipo Rites, Krobo Identity, and the National Politics of Culture

The presentation of popular culture involved a performance of the highlife band 'Sankofa', the screening of a film by Theo Uittenbogaard on the history of highlife in Ghana and the reading of poetry by Prof. Dr. Atukwai Okai during the first day. On the second day a visit to the KIT children's museum took place which included a guided tour through an exhibition about the Asantehene's Palace.

Publicity for the symposium was organized jointly by KIT, the ASC and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which produced the conference programme and invitation cards. In addition, Africa Server included the symposium in its Ghana-Netherlands 300 years portal and played an important role in passing on the programme to a national and international audience. The organizing committee was pleased to note that in the course of the two-day programme the symposium attracted more than 100 persons. The convenors wish to congratulate the KIT on the way in which it dealt with the logistics of the programme and thank the ASC for its secretarial and administrative support.

3. Contents and insights

The symposium highlighted the fact that contemporary Ghana is marked by a tremendous creativity in the field of cultural expression channelled through film, video, theatre, dance, music, art and writing that draws large audiences and closely relates to people’s everyday lives. The liberalization and commercialization of the mass media, instigated by Ghana’s return to a democratic constitution in 1992, have resulted in new forms of popular culture on a variety of fronts. An important feature of popular creativity is the masterful combination of typically Western and distinctively Ghanaian features, the capacity to incorporate the foreign and yet retain a locally grounded cultural identity. The Ghanaian music and video industry as well as dance and theatre have successfully tapped into global forms such as rap, hip-hop, soaps etc. and have created many forms of exchange with comparable arenas elsewhere, extending beyond the West African region. And despite the tough economic situation, many of Ghana’s cultural festivals have become part and parcel of the international tourist industry and attract large numbers of visitors from the West. Much of what is articulated on the various TV and radio stations, in theatres and in popular magazines is not only the talk of the day but touches upon cultural, economic, moral and even political concerns. Four of the presentations at the symposium demonstrated that, interestingly, the Pentecostal charismatic churches, which are very popular in Ghana (and also in the diaspora), have jumped on the bandwagon of popular culture and given it further impetus. Many Pentecostal charismatic churches that have emerged in the country seek to promote their own music and video industry, put out their own magazines and have their own TV and radio shows. The distinct moral message implied may, in some instances, run counter to the cultural projects of the nation-state. Taking up the Akan symbol of Sankofa (a bird turning its head back to its tail, meaning ‘Go back and take it!’), this cultural project has sought to emphasize the importance of incorporating the Ghanaian heritage, its traditional culture and religion. In Ghana, culture has increasingly become a domain of conflict and contestation, of challenge and power brokerage. These rapid developments in the area of culture were the focus of the symposium. Extending beyond Ghana, the symposium showed that in the diaspora and particularly in the Netherlands there is a growing fascination with Ghanaian popular culture, as evidenced by museum exhibitions, Ghana video festivals, and exchanges at the level of media training and development aid. This popular display of creativity is, however, made subject to critiques and debates in Ghana from two angles: one is the nation-state which is interested in promoting its own policies of cultural politics in which the creation of a national identity is made central. In the dominant view of the state, popular culture is often viewed as nothing more than 'just entertainment' and for this reason, the symposium highlighted the fact that the Ghanaian government has decided to implement a so-called 'entertainment tax'. The effects of tax levies on music, drama or other popular performances are however dramatic, as expenses are increasing both for performers as well as for audiences, thereby turning popular culture into an increasingly risky financial adventure.

Grace Amponsah Abibio, ambassador of Ghana in the Netherlands. James Nuamah, Afristar The Hague

The second problematic the symposium discussed was the persisting distinction policy-makers and others tend to make between 'high culture' and performing culture through which often normative perceptions transpire of why the one should be supported and not the other. This issue was hotly debated at the symposium, thereby demonstrating that even academics can be divided over the perceived or desired morality cultural performance adheres or must adhere to. No decisive conclusions were reached on this issue but the debate made it clear that some academics felt that they have a role to play in critically engaging popular culture when public morality is concerned. The overall assessment of the conference by participants was that the symposium contributed to a better understanding of the role and position of popular culture in Ghana and in other African societies today. Above all it contributed to the assessment that studying popular culture should not just take place as if popular culture reflects important social changes, but can also be regarded as a significant motor of these developments. Studies relating to the growth and importance of the public media in Ghana and in the diaspora particularly appeared to underscore this perception, recognizing nevertheless that the performances of popular culture on a smaller scale generate similar processes of change in society.

4. Proceedings

The proceedings of the symposium were recorded and the speakers have kept much of the audio-visual material they presented on file. Due to the specific nature of the subject matter, the organizing committee has discussed, in its evaluation of the symposium with the Ghana Studies Group, the possibility of producing not just 'another book'. The format of a book was perceived as being inappropriate for the kind of material the symposium presented to its audience and for an academic audience in the second instance. Many presentations contained audio or visual material, including tape recordings, photos and video images, material which cannot be successfully reproduced in written form. It was decided, therefore, to explore the possibilities of producing a different kind of ‘proceedings’, in a format which, without losing its academic quality, would be better accessible for this kind of material and for the kind of audience it aims to reach. A representation of the proceedings - meeting these objectives - might successfully take the form of a CD Rom and the committee therefore decided to approach Africa Server for advice about its production. Once a CD Rom has been produced, a subsequent 'by- product' could be a website. An advantage of the production of a CD, in addition to the possibilities it has for representing audio and visual material, is its easy distribution in Africa and other parts of the world. A major disadvantage however is the cost of production which is substantial. The committee has invited the Africa Server to explore the possibilities of fundraising for this project and will discuss which options it has found to produce the desired electronic medium in the near future. Until that time no further efforts will be made towards producing a report on the symposium’s proceedings in any written form in order not to pre-empt a prospective market for the CD Rom. For the purposes of this report, the presented papers are, however, included in an attached but separate folder.

5. Acknowledgements

The committee wishes to acknowledge the financial support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for this symposium and extends its gratitude to the two key persons in the tercentenary bureau who were instrumental in the realization of this inititiave, namely Mr. A. Huitzing and Mr. C. van Deursen. In addition, it also wishes to thank Mr. J. Boeles for the original idea of organizing this event, and Ms. I. Vermeij from KIT for the pivotal role she played, in conjunction with O. Romeijn, the director of KIT's theatre programme, in the logistical organization of the symposium. A similar word of gratitude is extended to Ms. M. van Winden at the ASC for her involvement in the programming and for the secretarial support she offered the entire symposium.

Appendix 1 Programme

Performing Culture. The Politics and Aesthetics of Cultural Expression in Contemporary Ghana

Dates: 13 & 14 June2002 Venue: Royal Tropical Institute (KIT), Linnaeusstraat 2, Amsterdam.

Thursday 13 June

09:30 – 10:00 Registration and coffee

10:00 – 10:30 Welcome and opening remarks by H.E. the Ambassador of Ghana, mrs. Grave Amponsah-Ababio, Roeland van der Geer, director Sub-Sahara Africa in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Gerti Hesseling, director Africa Studies Centre

10:30 – 11:00 Keynote address by Ato Quayson (University of Cambridge, U.K.)

Conversions of the Gift: Preface to an Analysis of Ghanaian Popular Culture

11:00 – 11:15 Coffee break

11:15 – 12:00 General discussion

12:00 – 14:00 Lunch and performance of Highlife band Sankofa

Session I The Culture of highlife

14:00 – 14:20 Veit Arlt (University of Basel, Switzerland)

The Scholars’ Dance. Popular culture and the appropriation of Christianity on the South-eastern Gold Coast, c.1890-1918.

14:25 – 14:45 John Collins (University of Ghana, Accra)

Ghanaian Christianity and Popular Entertainment: Full Circle

14:50 – 15:30 General discussion

15:30 – 16:00 Tea break

Session II The Arts at home and abroad

16:00 – 16:20 Atukwei Okai (Pan African Writers Association, Accra)

The Politics of Poetic Aesthetics and the Ideostructural Symbolism in the Works of Atukwei Okai

16:25 – 16:45 Katharina Schramm (Free University Berlin, Germany)

From the Ghana Dance Ensemble to the National Dance Company: the Dynamics of Changing Cultural Representations

16:50 – 17:10 Malika Kraamer (SOAS, London)

The Internationalisation of Kente

17:15 – 18:00 General discussion

18:00 – 19:00 Drinks

Friday 14 June

Session III Pentecostalism and popular culture

09:30 – 09:50 Kodjo Senah (Sociology Department Legon University, Accra)

In the Name of Jesus: Health Seeking and Pente-charismatic Movements in Ghana

09:55 – 10:15 Brigid Sackey (Institute of African Studies, Accra)

Charismatic Churches as Expression of Popular Culture: The Art of Testimony-giving in African Religious Movements in Ghana.

10:15 – 10:30 Coffee break

10:30 – 11:25 General discussion

Session IV Transmitting culture through radio and video

11:25 – 11:45 Birgit Meyer (Centre Religion and Society, Amsterdam)

Fighting the Devil on Screen. Ghanaian Videofilms and the Representation of Local Religious Traditions

11: 50 – 12:10 Rijk van Dijk (African Studies Centre, Leiden) & James Nuamah (Afristar, The Hague)

Radiating Culture: Ghanaian Migrant Radio and the Transmission of Culture in the Diaspora

12:10 – 13:00 General discussion

13:00 – 14:00 Lunch

Session V Festivals & tourism

14:00 – 14:20 Sheilah Clarke-Ekong (University of Missouri St. Louis, USA)

Reflection, Reconciliation, and Renaissance: Ghanaian Festivals Live On

14:25 – 14:45 Jennifer Hasty (Pacific Lutheran University, USA),

Tourism, Asante, and the Performance of Wealth: National Culture and Transnational Heritage in Ghana

14:50 – 15:10 Marijke Steegstra (University of Nijmegen)

Modify Cultural Practices! Dipo rites, Krobo Identity, and the National Politics of Culture

15:15 – 15:30 Tea break

15:30 – 16:00 General discussion

16:00 – 17:00 Visit to the Asantehene Palace at the Children's Museum, KIT

Closing & Farewell