Review of “Global Ghana” conference

The 2nd Triennial Conference of the Ghana Studies Association took place from 6 to 9 July, 2016 at Cape Coast.

This interdisciplinary gathering of local and international students and scholars of Ghana’s past and present engaged a wide range of issues related to the theme “Global Ghana.”

The sub-themes included,:
(A) Immigration, Emigration, and Tourism
(B) Pan-Africanism and the Diaspora
(C) Politics and Commerce in the International Sphere
(D) Music, Sports, and Popular Culture
(E) Media, Technology, and Digital Social Life
(F) Gender and Sexuality
(G) Human Rights and Humanitarianism
(H) Religion and the State
(I) Arts, Writers and Intellectuals and International Networks
(J) Science, Medicine and Public Health
(K) The Environment, Resources, and Preservation

Conference Program (download)

Ghana Studies Conference_Final Program_REVISED 2 July 2016

The feedback from participants was overwhelmingly positive. Here are a few quotes that represent the experience of many:

 

I just wanted to say that I think the amazing productive tone of the conference was set by the entire organizing committee.  We all followed your lead and what a spectacular event it was!  I had just come from a conference in London, which left me so disillusioned with the politics of the academy.  Cape Coast 2016 was the perfect antidote.There are a lot of obstacles to productive communication between scholars located in very different parts of the world.  Questions asked, for example, at a university in the global north, may have no resonance with scholars based in the global south.  In Cape Coast, I watched those obstacles melt away as people engaged each other from different locations, different disciplines, different positionalities.  Perhaps because there was a common general knowledge base about Ghana, we could move straight into the heart of the matter, with each presentation, each panel.  But it wasn’t just that.  There really was something magical about “Global Ghana 2016” and I am so glad I was able to be a part of that magic!

With many, many thanks for your leadership.
Jean Allman (former President, GSA & Current Vice-President, ASA)
Washington University in St. Louis

GSA 2016 was academically stimulating. It was one of the most important conferences I have attended because it brought together scholars from various fields doing research on Ghana. It was indeed exciting and informative to listen to all presentations cutting across disciplines.

As a PhD Candidate from the Institute of African Studies in Legon and a 2015 GSA Grant Awardee, I came to the conference with the intention of linking up with scholars in my area of research.  Not only did I achieve that goal, but was privileged to meet and interact with some professors whose work I have been reading. This was a very fulfilling experience for me since I am still keeping in touch with these scholars with the hope of getting access to scholarly materials to support my writing.
On the whole, GSA 2016 was a great opportunity for professional networking and exchange of ideas. It is one of the conferences, I will always look forward to attending.
P. Serwaa Afrifa
PhD Student, Institute of African Studies
University of Ghana
This was my first experience at the triennial GSA conference and it made me regret missing the last one in 2013, Kumasi. The conference provided a collegial space for scholars working in Ghana to connect with each other. I was grateful for the opportunity to listen and engage with scholars I had been reading for my research on Ghanaian hiplife. At the conference forged many new friendships that may eventually turn into long lasting academic relationships. I look forward to presenting at the 2019 conference.
Nii Nikoi Kotei
University of Massachusetts Amherst