By Patrique deGraft-Yankson (August 2025)
Abstract
This essay explores decolonisation in art education through the lens of Sankofa, an Akan philosophy of reflective reclamation. It situates decolonisation as a critical, deliberate, and constructive process beyond performative gestures. Drawing on a Ghana-Germany collaborative project, it examines how indigenous knowledge systems and curriculum reform intersect within global decolonial discourses, highlighting the necessity of intercultural dialogue in reimagining art education for inclusivity and epistemic justice.
Introduction
Decolonisation transcends superficial acts of self-denial[1] and performative rejections of colonially shaped identities. It is not merely about symbolic name changes, aesthetic shifts in dress, or the wholesale abandonment of systems deemed Western. Nor is it a simplistic renunciation of “foreign” religions, educational systems, or lifestyles, only to privately re-engage with them when they serve immediate needs or appeal to personal sensibilities. While such acts are often framed as gestures of resistance, they frequently lack the depth and sustainability required for authentic transformation.
This paper argues that decolonisation must be understood as a deliberate, critical, and sustained effort to rediscover, re-engage, and reclaim ontologies, epistemologies, and indigenous knowledge systems. Through the lens of Sankofa, the Akan philosophical call to return to one’s roots in order to move forward, decolonisation demands an inward journey of self-identification rooted in deep reflection on histories, cultural philosophies, and values that defined existence prior to colonial disruption.
The Context of Art Education in Ghana and Germany
Art education, like all branches of formal learning, is shaped by the historical and ideological forces that produced the school system itself. In Ghana, missionary and colonial schools introduced Western epistemologies that displaced and marginalised indigenous knowledge systems and artistic practices (Edusei, 2004; Dabie, 2025; Yeboah, 2024). This displacement was further entrenched through processes such as acculturation, migration, and the dominance of external worldviews across media and commerce (Opoku & Akorli, 2009; Yeboah, Asante-Wusu, & Arku, 2022). Consequently, Ghana’s art education system—modelled on Western frameworks—continues to prioritise canonised, textbook-driven, and formalised studio-oriented approaches that often fail to reflect the fluidity, contextual depth, and cultural embeddedness that characterise indigenous artistic traditions. While approaches rooted in indigenous traditions may ultimately assume text-based or studio-oriented forms, they should be fundamentally informed by adaptive, community-centred, and culturally responsive modes of knowledge production and transmission.
Meanwhile, Germany, positioned at the heart of European academic and artistic traditions, faces a different but equally critical challenge. Its art education system has long operated under the assumption of universality, often overlooking its colonial entanglements and the exclusion of non-Western epistemologies (Mamdouh, 2021). As calls to decolonise institutions grow globally, German art schools and cultural institutions are increasingly compelled to re-examine the colonial underpinnings and racialised exclusions embedded in their curricula and artistic canons. These efforts include rethinking curriculum content, re-evaluating canonical hierarchies, and engaging with Global South perspectives to foster more inclusive and pluralistic art education systems (Goethe-Institut, 2021; Dekoloniale, 2020).
Philosophical Framework: Decolonisation as Sankofa
The Akan proverbs “Wofiti baako pɔ wose a, mogya ba” (in the rush to whiten stained teeth, you may end up with bleeding gums) and “Sɛ ɛtɔ wobo ase gua abowa ntsɛtseaba, ihu n’ayemdze” (if you dissect an ant with patience, you will see its entrails) encapsulate the philosophical grounding of this approach. The first underscores the danger of abrupt, forceful, and unexamined efforts to ‘cleanse’ colonial influence, risking irrational policymaking and fragile structures that reinforce neo-colonial entrapments. The second emphasises deliberate, patient, and systematic processes; colonialism was meticulously orchestrated and deeply embedded, and so decolonisation requires time, intellectual rigour, and diversity of perspectives to unearth, reinterpret, and reconstruct knowledge and practice.
Emerging from this philosophical grounding is the Dialogues in Decolonising Art Education project, which aims to establish a bilateral and dialogical framework for rethinking art education curricula in both Ghana and Germany through the lens of decolonisation and indigenous knowledge systems.
The Project
Aims and Objectives
This project seeks to investigate how colonial legacies continue to shape art education curricula in both countries, interrogating the ways in which Western epistemologies have dominated pedagogical structures and marginalised alternative ways of knowing and making.
At its core, the project seeks to document Ghanaian indigenous artistic practices and explore their educational value within contemporary curricular models. This involves studying artistic traditions such as weaving, carving, body art, pottery, picture/image making, performance, and symbolic representation, and evaluating how they can be revitalised within formal education systems to enhance national identity and cultural confidence.
The project also examines the implicit Eurocentrism and exclusions that characterise German art curricula. By doing so, it interrogates assumptions of universality embedded in European canons, opening space to integrate diverse epistemologies from the Global South. Through this bilateral inquiry, the project aims to facilitate collaborative exchanges between artists, educators, and students from both countries, fostering mutual learning and intercultural understanding.
The project finally seeks to co-develop teaching models and learning resources that integrate these diverse artistic epistemologies into curriculum frameworks. This co-creation process aspires to generate teaching materials, lesson prototypes, and digital resources that can be adapted for transnational use, expanding the scope of decolonised educational practices beyond the immediate contexts of Ghana and Germany.
Key Aspects of the Project
To achieve its objectives, the project addresses four interrelated and complementary aspects, each targeting a critical dimension of decolonising art education through research, artistic exchange, curriculum development, and public engagement.
Curriculum Research and Knowledge Mapping
This aspect focuses on parallel investigations in Ghana and Germany. In Ghana, activities include archival research, interviews with traditional artists and makers, and a systematic review of art curricula across all educational levels to identify gaps and marginalised indigenous content. In Germany, the research explores how colonial legacies and Eurocentric structures persist within teaching practices and curricular design through interviews with educators and students and critical curriculum analysis. These national processes will culminate in two comprehensive reports, which will be synthesised into a joint comparative analysis highlighting thematic convergences and divergences across both contexts.
Artistic and Educational Exchange
This component foregrounds reciprocal learning through short-term artist residencies and collaborative workshops. Ghanaian artists will engage with institutions in Germany and vice versa, fostering intercultural dialogue. Workshops led by traditional Ghanaian practitioners and contemporary German artists will create immersive learning experiences. Student-led creative projects will be co-developed across both countries, culminating in public exhibitions and engagement events that showcase collaborative artworks and embody the transformative potential of transnational artistic dialogue.
Co-creation of Decolonised Curriculum Prototypes
Here, the focus shifts to translating research and artistic exchange into practical pedagogical tools. In Ghana, curriculum modules will be designed to integrate indigenous practices such as Adinkra symbolism, kente weaving, and oral storytelling into formal art education. In Germany, curriculum development will centre on critiquing Eurocentric paradigms, exploring intersectional identities, and incorporating voices from the Global South. These modules will be hosted on accessible digital learning platforms, accompanied by toolkits and training manuals to facilitate implementation and dissemination by educators.
Public Dissemination and Policy Engagement
The final aspect aims to ensure wide visibility, sustainability, and policy impact. A major international conference, titled “Rethinking Art Education: Decolonial Perspectives from the Global South and North,” will be convened in partnership with educational and cultural institutions. Public and virtual exhibitions will celebrate indigenous artistic expressions and the creative processes behind them. A bilingual publication will document the project’s findings, artistic outcomes, and pedagogical tools, while additional outputs—including policy briefs and a potential documentary film—will serve to influence broader educational discourse and policymaking.
Expected Outcomes
The project is expected to generate a comparative understanding of how coloniality manifests in art education across contexts. It seeks to revitalise and validate Ghanaian indigenous knowledge within formal education while raising awareness in Germany of the need for curricular diversification and reflexivity. The project also aims to develop model curriculum components and teaching materials adaptable for use in various transnational contexts, advancing the global project of decolonising art education.
Conclusion
In essence, decolonisation is not an erasure of the past but an informed reclamation. It is a movement of becoming, anchored not in rejection, but in critical restoration and purposeful reimagination. By harmonising tradition and modernity through intentional cultural introspection and global engagement, projects such as Dialogues in Decolonising Art Education represent transformative pathways towards more inclusive, reflective, and just art education systems worldwide.
References
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- Dabie, P. K. (2025). Contemporary legacy of colonialism in Ghana’s education. Open Access Library Journal, 12(3), 1–17.
- Dekoloniale. (2020). Dekoloniale memory culture in the city. https://www.dekoloniale.de
- Edusei, K. (2004). An overview of visual art education in Ghanaian schools. Journal of Science and Technology, 24(2), 116–120.
- Goethe-Institut. (2021). Decolonisation of Art Education? https://www.goethe.de/ins/gb/en/kul/mag/22157609.html
- Mamdouh, L. (2021). Coloniality in German higher education: Persistent structures and the need for change. Journal of Decolonial Research, 5(2), 45–60.
- Opoku, R. A., & Akorli, P. A. K. (2009). The preference gap: Ghanaian consumers’ attitudes toward local and imported products. African Journal of Business Management, 3(8), 350–357. https://academicjournals.org/article/article1380554185_Opoku%20and%20Akorli.pdf
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- Yeboah, I. E. A., Asante-Wusu, I., & Arku, G. (2022). Globalisation, Western-style malls and consumerism in the Accra-Tema city-region, Ghana. International Development Planning Review, 44(4), 469–492. https://doi.org/10.3828/idpr.2022.22
[1] Self-denial, as used here, refers to a superficial, forceful, or performative rejection of aspects of identity shaped by colonial influence, elements that may not necessarily be harmful to our existence, but are disavowed merely to appear as though one is resisting colonial legacies.