|
|
 |
 |
Quick Links |
|
|
|
| |
|
 |
News & Events  News |
|
|
|
| |
| | UG Honours Emeritus Professor J. H. Kwabena Nketia |    | | |  A 2-day Conference has been held in honour of Emeritus Professor J. H. Kwabena Nketia, first African Director of the Institute of African Studies of the University of Ghana, Legon who turned 90 in June this year.
The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ernest Aryeetey opened the conference in the Kwabena Nketia conference room at the Institute’s Kwame Nkrumah complex, named after the distinguished Professor.
In her welcome remarks, the Director of the Institute, Profesor Akosua Adomako Ampofo reflected on the multi-disciplinary nature of Professor Nketia’s work, which she said remains the identity of the Institute. She noted that this was in line with the vision of President Nkrumah that Ghana should make a specific contribution to the advancement of knowledge about the peoples and cultures of Africa which led to the establishment of the Institute in 1962. Professor Adomako Ampofo paid glowing tribute to Professor Nketia who as the first African Director of the Institute laid the foundation for the Institute’s media archives, which currently contain a discography and video collection of over 3,000, and over 8,000 photographs. She said the Institute was proud of him and the rich legacy inherited from him.
 Prof. Adomako Ampofo mentioned that the conference which is a collaborative effort between the Institute of African Studies and Guinness Ghana Breweries Ltd (GGBL) seeks to foster an intellectual engagement and a platform where participants can engage with discourses on African realities, highlight some of Africa’s contributions to world civilizations and knowledge production, and ultimately lead to a deeper appreciation of African identities.
In opening the conference, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Professor Ernest Aryeetey, paid special tribute to Professor Nketia, lauding his many contributions to the University, the nation, and the world. He also expressed his appreciation to Guinness Ghana Breweries Ltd. for expressing the relevance of the Public-Private partnership at its best.
Professor Emerita Mary Esther Kropp Dakubu who delivered the keynote address spoke on the theme, “Language and Music: Mind, Body, Meaning”. Her presentation made clear the links between music and language—two areas that had engaged Professor Nketia, who also studied linguistics. She took as her point of departure two classic articles by Nketia (both published in 1971), to explore expressive, communicative and aesthetic aspects of the relationships among language, music and literature, mainly with reference to Ghana.
Papers presented at the conference covered diverse aspects of the broad academic field that has engaged the attention of Professor Nketia for over half a century and include themes in Music, Linguistics, Poetry, Sociology, Dance, Drama, and Anthropology. Presenters came from Ghana, Nigeria, Europe and North America.
 The highlight of the colourful opening ceremony were the lucid remarks by Professor Nketia himself, and the solo musical salute on the seprewa by Osei Korankye of the Ghana Dance Ensemble that heralded Nketia’s remarks. Professor Nketia’s journey down memory lane, and his adventures under the various regimes made a fascinating historical memoir, emphasizing his multi-talented credentials.
The special guest of honour, the Honourable Alexander Asum-Ahensah, MP and Minister for Chieftaincy and Culture, congratulated the Director of the Institute and her colleagues for initiating and putting together the event. He noted that this was a clear demonstration of the importance of honouring heroes while they are still alive. He reiterated the sentiments expressed by other speakers and described Professor Nketia as an ambassador of Ghanaian and African cultures, especially his pioneering role in the curatorial aspects of Ghana’s cultural heritage.
In her remarks, Ms Nana Yaa Ofori-Atta, Corporate Relations Director, Guinness Ghana Breweries Ltd. expressed her delight that GGBL had been invited to join in the celebration of such a foremost African intellectual. She praised Professor Nketia as a man whose singular fluency in music, linguistics, poetry, sociology, dance and drama distinguished him as a “First Among Equals”.
Emeritus Professor Nketia was the pioneer who set up the International Centre for African Music and Dance, (ICAMD). The honour is also in recognition of his life and works as a renowned Africanist, teacher, ethno-musicologist, composer and poet, linguist and sociologist.
 | | | | Date Published: 04/10/2011 | | | |   |
|
|
| Related Articles |
|
|
| |
|
