On April 23 – 24, 2015, NYU Accra co-hosted a conference entitled The Humanities in the 21st Century Africa: Towards Alternative Models of Human Development, which brought together scholars and students for lively discussions.
Rationale
The idea of a conference was mooted in the fall semester of 2014 when the academic program was suspended. It was thought that some on-going intellectual activity would be good for the site even in the absence of students. The plan was to hold the conference that semester, however, it was realized that there was not enough time to apply for funding and to put together the necessary logistics. Therefore, upon the recommendation of the NYU Accra SSAC, the conference was scheduled for Spring 2015.
In order to raise the visibility of the site as well as the conference, we decided to collaborate with our partner institution to mobilize local faculty involvement. The Institute of African Studies (IAS) of the University of Ghana was therefore approached to partner with us. This step proved mutually beneficial in the end.
Theme
The theme “The Humanities in the 21st Century Africa: Towards Alternative Models of Human Development” was selected for two reasons. First, the NYU Accra curriculum focuses largely on the Humanities, and students who study at the site are interested in the history, religion, politics, culture, fine arts, music, dance, theater arts, etc., of Ghana and Africa. The second motivation was to contribute to a current policy drive in Ghanaian and African universities, towards a proportional intake of 70% science students and 30% humanities. In fact, in the Ghanaian education system, course specialization starts in high school where students are obligated to choose from Science, Arts, Social Sciences, Business, Home Economics, etc., at a stage when they are not even certain of their future career paths. The theme was therefore selected to encourage a conversation on the value of a broad-based undergraduate education and to discuss alternative models used elsewhere.
Attendance and Participation
The conference was successful in terms of attendance and presentations. On the first day, April 23, 126 people attended the opening ceremony, including several deans and directors of collages and schools of the University of Ghana, faculty, graduate students and a number of special invited guests. The second day, 50 more people registered, making a total of 176 attendees, in addition to 35 participants from various local institutions who presented papers, took part in the Roundtable discussions or chaired the sessions. I am happy to report that eleven NYU Accra instructors, the Vice President of Global Programs, Janet Alperstein, and Hannah Bruckner from NYUAD were among the participants.
Two unique features of the conference were a poetry dramatization and dance performance and the site’s tenth anniversary celebration event, at which some notable NYU Accra faculty were recognized.
Appreciation
On behalf of the NYU Accra faculty and staff, we would like to thank the Global Research Initiative of the Office of the Provost, NYU, for sponsoring the conference. We also thank the convener and members of NYU Accra SSAC as well as Linda Mills, Nancy Morrison, and Matthew Santirocco for their support. Finally, we are grateful to the Institute of African Studies for partnering with us.
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Dispatch from Accra
The spring semester started in the third week of January with the usual weeklong orientation geared towards getting the 30 students to learn about their new environment and to settle in. One of the highlights of the orientation was the “internship fair” which brought together thirty-three representatives from some of our partner organizations and institutions, which offer placements to our interns. That face-to-face interaction between representatives and the students followed by Q&A was mutually beneficial. In the words of a student, “the internship and volunteer experiences have been inextricably linked to our overwhelmingly positive time in Ghana. The internship and volunteer placements enabled us to engage with the community and to learn how to interact and communicate cross-culturally.”
With regard to academics, nineteen courses were offered this semester taught by 16 accomplished local scholars and Dr. Renee Blake, a visiting NYU professor. As was the case the previous semester, one of her courses, Sex, Gender and Language, was opened to University of Ghana students and was held at that campus based on the long-standing agreement between the two institutions. It is heartwarming to report that the local students are interested in joint classes.
Our students enjoyed group excursion to various parts of the country. A student blogged as follows, “How many GNU sites offer three overnight weekend trips throughout the country for free? Each student who traveled on these programs was grateful for the opportunity to see more of Ghana.”
NYU Accra also hosted intersession programs from NYU Abu Dhabi and Steinhardt’s Department of Occupational Therapy. And throughout the semester, the staff prepared to host six NYU summer programs, including Stern International Volunteers who visited the site for the first time. There were a number of faculty visits, and we are happy to report that Dr. Michael Gomez of the History Department, a member of the Accra Site Specific Advisory Committee, was one of them.
Art Therapy in Accra
Enjoy this video of the Steinhardt graduate Art Therapy course in Ghana, which was filmed and produced by students in the course, led by Joseph Kavitski. The video is from summer 2013, and the same program will be returning to Ghana this summer, June 15-July 15. http://player.vimeo.com/video/95409549
Future Teachers On Site in Schools in London and Accra
This spring semester, 2014, NYU Steinhardt added a new, experiential learning opportunity for undergraduate students in the Teaching and Learning department. Based on a successful offering in London that Steinhardt introduced last year, the school worked with the NYU Global Academic Center in Accra, Ghana, to offer a required course, Human Development, to students who will be future teachers. The course includes a required observation component, and in Accra, as in London, students fulfill this requirement at local schools. Depending on the student’s future area of teaching–early childhood, childhood or adolescence–they observe children in early elementary grades, upper elementary, or middle school. The learning experience is transformative, according to Robbie Powers, academic advisor in Teaching and Learning. “Through direct experience in schools in Ghana and the UK, our students gain a global perspective towards education that can be applied to their roles as students, educators, and leaders.”
Giving students an insider’s perspective on Accra: Professor Nat Amarteifio
What is the course you teach at NYU Accra and what kinds of students take it?
I teach a course called Accra’s Global Connections. It is designed to teach students about the growth and urbanization of a middle-sized African capital city. We look at the beginnings of Accra in the 14th century, and trace the development and growth of the city until today. We xamine all factors that have influenced it – the first contact with Europeans, slavery, colonization, independence and its aftermath – and consider how these things affected city’s population growth, migrants, politics, and economy. By the end of the semester, students have a pretty good idea of what makes contemporary African cities tick.
All kinds of students take my course. Some are interested in contemporary urban studies. But the course also has lots of historical information and looks at contemporary governance issues, so some students come with backgrounds in history or political science. Others take the course simply because they want to get a sense of what Accra is like. Some think that if they are going to spend three months in this place, they want to know something about it.
We take a lot of field trips during the semester. Accra is not exactly the most written about, researched city in the world. So after a lecture, I often take the students out to the area in the city where what we were discussing took place so that they can see the impacts of events from 100 or 150 years ago and what is happening today.
I understand that you studied architecture at Howard University. How was your experience studying in a foreign country?
I don’t know what it is like for students these days because the world is so much smaller than when I came to America. When I came to the U.S., I had to book a phone call home two weeks in advance. And then the phone would ring in the middle of the night and the static was so bad you spent five minutes screaming “Hello, hello!” at each other and that was all. Curiously, just hearing your mum’s voice was enough.
Now the students call home to ask how to butter their bread or cook some rice and their mums will indulge them. It’s a totally different world.
Going to U.S. was an adventure. It was not so long after independence and the indoctrination we received was that we would study abroad, go home, and help build the nation. I knew that I would go home. It took me close to ten years to leave, but I did return.
After Howard, I continued my studies at the Pratt Institute in New York (Brooklyn). I actually stayed at Christopher and Bleecker St, not far from NYU. I worked for awhile in New York and in Canada, and then returned to Ghana.
How does your course help foreign students understand Accra?
My course literally exposes them to every aspect of Accra, from the worst slums to the highest riches of Accra society. We visit the slums because due to rapid urbanization a number of citizens in West African cities live in very disadvantaged conditions. You cannot understand these cities until you see the slums. People assume the slums are violent places, but here they are not. The people are desperate to make money and want to get out, so there is reasonable social stability. Of course there are other parts of the city that are testaments to change that I need to show the American students.
I understand that you were the Mayor of Accra from 1994-1998. How has that experience informed your approach to teaching?
Tremendously. When I talk to students, I don’t speak purely from a theoretical point of you. I know the practical implications of various policies that we have tried and when I speak to them about events, I can draw on my experience and really explain things.
Cities are a complicated business, especially African cities. Like Accra, which has one foot in the 15th century and one foot in the 21st century. You have people here who believe in ancestor worship and people here who are talking to people on Skype with someone thousands of miles.
After having served, you have a greater sense of the limits of governance. When you haven’t had to make decisions that effect the lives of millions of people and deal with the consequences of it, you can be quite cavalier. When you are teaching students, you need to have a great sense of possibilities; you don’t want them to the think the world is their playpen, but you also don’t want to give them limitations.
I am particularly enthusiastic about teaching these American kids. I was in high school when JFK sent the Peace Corps to the developing world. I was 17 or 18 when the Peace Corps came to Ghana. Later, I was pleased to see that many of these students ended up working in the US government or in corporations that have dealings with Africa. They are more sensitive in dealing with the developing world.
I look at the students I am teaching now, and I see that in twenty years they will be in similar positions making decisions that will have implications for Africa. So when I am teaching them, I try to prepare them for that.
I also understand you are currently working on a book about the history of Accra. Can you describe this project?
Being mayor of Accra was an absolutely fascinating job that I enjoyed tremendously. After my term, I was deciding what to do. I was trained as an architect, but I was kind of bored with that profession. It was hard to go back to after I’d had a whole city to run. So I decided to research Accra’s architecture and found so much material and I am now turning it into book.
What has been most rewarding or surprising about teaching NYU students?
My classes have ranged in size and have different feels. With smaller classes, you really feel as though you are engaged in a dialogue.
Every now and then you come across a couple of brilliant students. The most rewarding thing is when you read a paper and you nod your head and say, “yes, this is it.” I sometimes copy the paper and keep it to use in future courses. The students come to the class without any prejudice or background because they usually don’t know anything about West Africa, so when they offer something and it is good, it is very rewarding.
How do you feel about NYU’s global efforts and its presence in Accra?
I am absolutely thrilled that Accra is part of NYU’s global network because it is the future. The day will come when the world will be even more connected than it is now. I am happy to have had a part of it. NYU is a pioneer for something that is going to happen more widely.
What could you tell those of us who haven’t visited about Accra? What are your hopes for the city?
It’s a very vibrant city. It says a lot about the future of urban centers in the whole continent. I would like us to get better at governing it. I would like to find ways to have the various communities understand and talk to each other more. You have to handle a city very, very carefully. I believe that the future of African culture lies in the urban areas. I would like the governing authorities to pay closer attention to the new culture, the developing culture. I believe that Accra will do it. There is a base of stability here that has so far survived the test of time.
Dispatch from Accra
The 2013-14 academic year got off to an exciting start with an important symposium to commemorate our 10th anniversary celebration. In cooperation with NYU Florence, NYU’s School of Medicine, and our local partner institution, the University of Ghana, Legon, we hosted the symposium, “Healing Environment and the Creative Arts.” The symposium was organized to create awareness of the immense role the creative arts play in wellness and in healing.
Speakers at the symposium included Dr. Cheryl Heaton, the Director of the NYU Global Institute of Public Health, who is also the Dean of Global Public Health, NYU. Dr. Richard Ingersoll from NYU Florence presented a paper on therapeutic gardens. Dr. Sammy Ohene, Chair, Department of Psychiatry, University of Ghana Medical School spoke about traditional and modern healing in patient-doctor relationships. The local and international speakers explored important questions including how to define a positive healing space, how to provide a balanced healing relationship between patient and healer, and how to identify healing forces or measure healing outcomes. The event was well attended and well received, and we recently published a collection of the abstracts, which is available here (PDF).
During the fall semester, thirty-two students in Accra had the opportunity to select from seventeen courses taught by local part-time faculty and a visiting faculty member from NY. The courses included language study, literature, creative writing, music, film, public health, psychology, sociology, anthropology, history and metropolitan studies. The site welcomed a new faculty member, Dr. Alice Boateng, who took over the Internship Seminar and Fieldwork course.
In addition to their experiences in the classroom, most students participated in academic internships and volunteer or community service activities. These activities involved working at special schools, health facilities, microfinance institutions, government departments, non-for-profit organizations, and media outlets. Service learning is a flagship program of NYU Accra and provides valuable opportunities for students to deepen their understanding of the local society.
NYU Accra also welcomed the Center for Technology and Economic Development (CTED), a research center at NYU Abu Dhabi, which has just opened a facility across the road from NYU Accra. CTED focuses on the development of innovative and cutting edge technologies that can significantly impact economic development with a specific focus on problems faced in under-developed areas around the world.
Based in Abu Dhabi, CTED now maintains branches in New York, Accra, and soon Addis Ababa. CTED plans to involve both undergraduates at NYU Accra and resident Ghanaian scholars in its research activities.