Department of Communication Studies Library Receives Posthumous Book Donation from Late Prof. Janet Kwami

Story by: Kwame McJoseph & Philip Abutiate

The Department of Communication Studies, University of Ghana has received a book donation from the library of the late Professor Janet Kwami. Prof Kwami, an alumna of the Department and, until her death, a professor of communication at Furman University (USA), pledged her library to the Department before her passing. The academic books and scholarly publications were presented by members of her family.

Dr. Archibold Buah-Kwofie, the leader of the family delegation, explained that the Department meant a lot to the late Professor Kwami, as evidenced by her collaborations with it. “This donation is a request from Janet and that shows how she cared about the Department of Communications and her self-nature of wanting to give back always,” Dr. Buah-Kwofie explained. “We are happy our sister, wife and daughter, Professor Janet Kuami, made an impact not only in the US but also here in Ghana, especially at this Department,”

Members of the delegation expressed appreciation to the Department for accepting the donation.

Appreciation

The Head of Department, Dr. Abena Animwaa Yeboah-Banin, and Professor Audrey Gadzekpo, received the donation.

The two expressed joy at the gesture as they recounted the collaborations the Department had with the late Professor Kwami. Dr. Yeboah-Banin touched on the relevance of the donation to the Department, assuring that the books will be put to good use. “This is very good for us because I imagine the books we are getting will be expansive, rich in diversity of content and, more importantly, current which is very relevant for the work that we are doing,” she said.

“Janet is solving a very important challenge in the Department by donating her books to us. We say ‘thank you’ to her memory, and to you all for honoring her request and operationalizing it for us to receive the donation today,” Dr. Yeboah-Banin added.

About Professor Janet Kuami

Professor Janet Kwami, who studied at the Communication Studies Department for her MA Degree in the 2000/2001 academic year, passed on in May, 2023.

Before her demise, she was an associate professor at Furman University in the USA. She often served as a guest lecturer and also played the role of a keynote speaker at two conferences organized by the Department.

At the time of her death, Professor Kwami was partnering the Department to publish a special issue on “Africa’s digital youth and media and information literacy” in the Journal of Media, Communication and Society. She was the lead guest editor. The special issue has since been published.