blaxxRADIO

Episode Title: The Curatorial Archival Complex: Geopolitics, Unedited History, and Archival Metabolism

Season: 2 | Episode: 3 (Parts 1 & 2)

Episode Description In this two-part episode of blaxxRADIO, curator and scholar Dr Doreen Mende delivers a wide-ranging presentation on the intersection of curatorial practice, geopolitical history, and archival theory. Hosted at blaxTARLINES KUMASI, KNUST, Dr Mende unpacks how exhibitions function not merely as display spaces, but as active sites of research, knowledge production, and world-making. Tracing her intellectual trajectory from Documenta 11 to major international collaborative projects like Decolonising Socialism / Entangled Internationalism, Dr Mende introduces key concepts such as "archival metabolism" and "curatorial archival complexity." She examines how contemporary art practices can re-activate silent, repressed, or unedited archives—shifting our understanding of historical objects from passive relics to active interlocutors in the present.

About the Speaker: Dr. Doreen Mende Dr Doreen Mende is a public scholar, curator, and writer specialising in visual cultures, geopolitics, and curatorial research. She currently serves as the Director of Research at the State Art Collections in Dresden (SKD), Germany. From 2015 to 2025, she was Associate Professor at the University of Art and Design Geneva (HEAD) in Switzerland, where she directed the CCC Research Master and PhD Forum. She holds a PhD in Curatorial/Knowledge from Goldsmiths, University of London, and is currently a Research Affiliate at the Centre for Digital Humanities and Multilateralism at the Geneva Graduate Institute, as well as Urban Studies at the University of Basel. Dr Mende was the principal instigator of the multi-partner international research project Decolonising Socialism: Entangled Internationalism (in collaboration with blaxTARLINES KUMASI, Van Abbemuseum, HKW Berlin, and Oralities Research Lab Jaipur). She is also a co-founder of the Harun Farocki Institute in Berlin. Her major curatorial projects and publications span collaborations with Steve McQueen, Candida Höfer, Arti Sunda, Eslanda Robeson, and KP Brehmer, with writing published by Oxford University Press, e-flux journal, Sternberg Press, MIT Press, and Hatje Cantz.

About blaxTARLINES KUMASI blaxTARLINES KUMASI is an experimental contemporary art incubator, project space, and non-profit organization affiliated with the Department of Fine Art and Curatorial Practice (formerly Department of Painting and Sculpture) at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi, Ghana. Formalized as an institutional entity in 2015, the collective grew out of decades of radical pedagogical reforms led by artist-philosopher Prof. kąrî'kạchä seid'ou and a network of educators, students, and alumni.

Key Foundations & Mission: Pedagogical Revolution: Evolving from seid'ou's Emancipatory Art Teaching movement, blaxTARLINES dismantled retro-colonial, Eurocentric curriculum models in favour of process-based, post-media, and open-source artistic practices. Radical Inclusivity: Operating on egalitarian principles, blaxTARLINES treats art as a site of multiplicity: embracing performance, installation, sound, social practice, site-specificity, and everyday vernacular materials alongside traditional and contemporary media. Alternative Economies: Challenges the hyper-commercialisation of the art market by promoting art as a gift, site of knowledge-sharing, and collective resource.

Credits & Info Series: blaxxRADIO | Art Talk Segment Host: blaxTARLINES KUMASI Speaker: Dr Doreen Mende Interlocutor / Moderator: Dr Kwesi Ohene-Ayeh Recording: by Megborna for blaxTARLINES Archives (2026) Theme Song: Zegedevi by ZAGUNOR and Megborna Post-production: Megborna @ The SHRINE (Tech Sec, KNUST Campus).

Listen now and join the conversation!

blaxxRADIO Season 2. Episode 1 (Parts 1 & 2)

Creative Coalescing: Artists of KNUST and Ghana's Contemporary Art Revolution (ACASA 2017)

Episode Description:

In this episode, we revisit audio from the 17th ACASA Triennial Symposium hosted at the University of Ghana, Legon. Featuring the blaxTARLINES team and dynamic artists affiliated with Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), this panel discussion examines the evolution of the Ghanaian and broader African art scenes during a pivotal shift in contemporary practice.

The panellists reflect on the radical emergence of non-conforming, post-commissarial, and experimental art practices that challenged institutional norms and reshaped the landscape. Offering critical historical insights into the early days and intellectual foundations of blaxTARLINES, the conversation highlights the key figures, collective strategies, and pedagogical shifts that helped propel Ghana into its current contemporary art dispensation.

blaxTARLINES Team & Panellists featured in Session 13.4: Round Table — Creative Coalescing: Artists of KNUST and Ghana's Contemporary Art Revolution

Participating blaxTARLINES Panellists: George Ampratwum, Kwaku Boafo Kissiedu (Castro), Edwin Bodjawah, Dorothy Amenuke, Va-Bene Elikem Fiatsi, Adjo Kisser, Alissa Jordan, Tracy Naa Koshi Thompson, Jeremiah Quarshie, and Ibrahim Mahama.

Moderated by: Rebecca Nagy and Susan Cooksey.

ACASA 17 Program & Event Overview

The 17th Triennial Symposium on African Art, organised by the Arts Council of the African Studies Association (ACASA) and hosted by the Institute of African Studies (IAS) at the University of Ghana, Legon (August 8–13, 2017), marked a historic milestone as the first ACASA Triennial held on the African continent. The conference brought together scholars, curators, and practitioners to explore historical, modern, and contemporary African art while examining the radical shifts, institutional transformations, and emerging practices across the region.

About blaxTARLINES KUMASI blaxTARLINES KUMASI is an experimental contemporary art incubator, project space, and non-profit organisation affiliated with the Department of Painting and Sculpture, now the Department of Fine Art and Curatorial Practice, at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi, Ghana. Formalised as an institutional entity in 2015, the collective grew out of decades of radical pedagogical reforms led by artist-philosopher Prof. kąrî'kạchä seid'ou and a network of educators, students, and alumni.

Key Foundations & Mission Pedagogical Revolution: Evolving from seid'ou's Emancipatory Art Teaching movement, blaxTARLINES dismantled retro-colonial, Eurocentric curriculum models in favour of process-based, post-media, and open-source artistic practices.

Radical Inclusivity: Operating on egalitarian principles, blaxTARLINES treats art as a site of multiplicity: embracing performance, installation, sound, social practice, site-specificity, and everyday vernacular materials alongside traditional and contemporary media. Alternative Economies: It challenges the hyper-commercialisation of the art market by promoting art as a gift, site of knowledge-sharing, and collective resource.

Impact & Scale: blaxTARLINES serves as an essential nexus for contemporary West African art, pioneering major off-site, large-scale public exhibitions across Ghana, such as Gown must go to Town (2015), Cornfields in Accra (2016), and Orderly Disorderly (2017). Its network of artists, curators, and researchers continues to reshape global contemporary art discourses through international exhibitions, residencies, publication projects, and platform activations.

Credits & Info

Series: blaxxRADIO | Art Talk Segment Host: Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, Legon. Moderation: Rebecca Nagy and Susan Cooksey Panellists: George Ampratwum, Kwaku Boafo Kissiedu (Castro), Edwin Bodjawah, Dorothy Amenuke, Va-Bene Elikem Fiatsi, Adjo Kisser, Alissa Jordan, Tracy Naa Koshi Thompson, Jeremiah Quarshie, and Ibrahim Mahama. Theme Song: Zegedevi by ZAGUNOR and Megborna Post-production: Megborna @ The SHRINE (Tech Sec, KNUST Campus)

Listen now and join the conversation

blaxxRADIO Season 2. Episode 1 (Parts 1 & 2)

Creative Coalescing: Artists of KNUST and Ghana's Contemporary Art Revolution (ACASA 2017)

Episode Description:

In this episode, we revisit audio from the 17th ACASA Triennial Symposium hosted at the University of Ghana, Legon. Featuring the blaxTARLINES team and dynamic artists affiliated with Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), this panel discussion examines the evolution of the Ghanaian and broader African art scenes during a pivotal shift in contemporary practice.

The panellists reflect on the radical emergence of non-conforming, post-commissarial, and experimental art practices that challenged institutional norms and reshaped the landscape. Offering critical historical insights into the early days and intellectual foundations of blaxTARLINES, the conversation highlights the key figures, collective strategies, and pedagogical shifts that helped propel Ghana into its current contemporary art dispensation.

blaxTARLINES Team & Panellists featured in Session 13.4: Round Table — Creative Coalescing: Artists of KNUST and Ghana's Contemporary Art Revolution

Participating blaxTARLINES Panellists: George Ampratwum, Kwaku Boafo Kissiedu (Castro), Edwin Bodjawah, Dorothy Amenuke, Va-Bene Elikem Fiatsi, Adjo Kisser, Alissa Jordan, Tracy Naa Koshi Thompson, Jeremiah Quarshie, and Ibrahim Mahama.

Moderated by: Rebecca Nagy and Susan Cooksey.

ACASA 17 Program & Event Overview

The 17th Triennial Symposium on African Art, organised by the Arts Council of the African Studies Association (ACASA) and hosted by the Institute of African Studies (IAS) at the University of Ghana, Legon (August 8–13, 2017), marked a historic milestone as the first ACASA Triennial held on the African continent. The conference brought together scholars, curators, and practitioners to explore historical, modern, and contemporary African art while examining the radical shifts, institutional transformations, and emerging practices across the region.

About blaxTARLINES KUMASI blaxTARLINES KUMASI is an experimental contemporary art incubator, project space, and non-profit organisation affiliated with the Department of Painting and Sculpture, now the Department of Fine Art and Curatorial Practice, at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi, Ghana. Formalised as an institutional entity in 2015, the collective grew out of decades of radical pedagogical reforms led by artist-philosopher Prof. kąrî'kạchä seid'ou and a network of educators, students, and alumni.

Key Foundations & Mission Pedagogical Revolution: Evolving from seid'ou's Emancipatory Art Teaching movement, blaxTARLINES dismantled retro-colonial, Eurocentric curriculum models in favour of process-based, post-media, and open-source artistic practices.

Radical Inclusivity: Operating on egalitarian principles, blaxTARLINES treats art as a site of multiplicity: embracing performance, installation, sound, social practice, site-specificity, and everyday vernacular materials alongside traditional and contemporary media. Alternative Economies: It challenges the hyper-commercialisation of the art market by promoting art as a gift, site of knowledge-sharing, and collective resource.

Impact & Scale: blaxTARLINES serves as an essential nexus for contemporary West African art, pioneering major off-site, large-scale public exhibitions across Ghana, such as Gown must go to Town (2015), Cornfields in Accra (2016), and Orderly Disorderly (2017). Its network of artists, curators, and researchers continues to reshape global contemporary art discourses through international exhibitions, residencies, publication projects, and platform activations.

Credits & Info

Series: blaxxRADIO | Art Talk Segment Host: Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, Legon. Moderation: Rebecca Nagy and Susan Cooksey Panellists: George Ampratwum, Kwaku Boafo Kissiedu (Castro), Edwin Bodjawah, Dorothy Amenuke, Va-Bene Elikem Fiatsi, Adjo Kisser, Alissa Jordan, Tracy Naa Koshi Thompson, Jeremiah Quarshie, and Ibrahim Mahama. Theme Song: Zegedevi by ZAGUNOR and Megborna Post-production: Megborna @ The SHRINE (Tech Sec, KNUST Campus)

Listen now and join the conversation

Episode Title: African Unity by Other Means: Emancipatory Art, the Undercommons and Radical Pedagogy (Founders' Day Art Talk)

Season 2 | Episode: 1 (Parts 1, 2 & 3)

Episode Description:

In this three-part season premiere of blaxxRADIO, we present the seminal Founders' Day Art Talk delivered by artist-philosopher Prof. kąrî'kạchä seid'ou at blaxTARLINES KUMASI. Tracing the origins and intellectual prehistory of blaxTARLINES, Prof. seid'ou reflects on his early decision to enter a permanent self-imposed exile from the Global North. He outlines the radical pedagogical shifts, historical failures, and resurrections that transformed the Department of Painting and Sculpture at KNUST from a retro-colonial art academy into an experimental, post-media incubator for contemporary African practice. Drawing deep conceptual parallels with Kwame Nkrumah's political philosophy, Alain Badiou's set-theoretical ontology, mathematical topology, and the undercommons, Prof. kąrî'kạchä seid'ou challenges the limits of contemporary identity politics and bourgeois art-market financialization. He proposes an "African unity by other means"—a non-proprietary, non-observant practice that lives out radical emancipation ahead of its time.

About the Speaker: Prof. kąrî'kạchä seid'ou Prof. kąrî'kạchä seid'ou is an artist, philosopher, educator, and leading figure in contemporary African art pedagogy based at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi, Ghana. He is the intellectual progenitor of the Emancipatory Art Teaching movement and a co-founder of blaxTARLINES KUMASI. Through decades of pioneering curricular reform, Prof. kąrî'kạchä seid'ou led the systemic overhaul of KNUST's art program—shifting it away from Eurocentric, technique-bound colonial models toward process-based, egalitarian, and post-media artistic methodologies. Recognised globally for his transformative contributions to art education and institutional critique, his work continues to nurture generations of artists, curators, and critical thinkers reshaping the international contemporary art landscape.

About blaxTARLINES KUMASI blaxTARLINES KUMASI is an experimental contemporary art incubator, project space, and non-profit organisation affiliated with the Department of Fine Art and Curatorial Practice (formerly Department of Painting and Sculpture) at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi, Ghana. Formalised as an institutional entity in 2015, the collective grew out of decades of radical pedagogical reforms led by artist-philosopher Prof. kąrî'kạchä seid'ou and a network of educators, students, and alumni.

Key Foundations & Mission: Pedagogical Revolution: Evolving from seid'ou's Emancipatory Art Teaching movement, blaxTARLINES dismantled retro-colonial, Eurocentric curriculum models in favour of process-based, post-media, and open-source artistic practices. Radical Inclusivity: Operating on egalitarian principles, blaxTARLINES treats art as a site of multiplicity: embracing performance, installation, sound, social practice, site-specificity, and everyday vernacular materials alongside traditional and contemporary media. Alternative Economies: Challenges the hyper-commercialization of the art market by promoting art as a gift, site of knowledge-sharing, and collective resource.

Impact & Scale: blaxTARLINES serves as an essential nexus for contemporary West African art, pioneering major off-site, large-scale public exhibitions across Ghana (including Gown must go to Town [2015], Cornfields in Accra [2016], and Orderly Disorderly [2017]). Its network of artists, curators, and researchers continues to reshape global contemporary art discourses through international exhibitions, residencies, publication projects, and platform activations.

Credits & Info Series: blaxxRADIO | Art Talk Segment Host: blaxTARLINES KUMASI Speaker: Prof. kąrî'kạchä seid'ou Recording: Dramani Abudulai and Moses Serugo (2026) Theme Song: Zegedevi by ZAGUNOR and Megborna Post-production: Megborna @ The SHRINE (Tech Sec, KNUST Campus)

Listen now and join the conversation!

Episode Title: African Unity by Other Means: Emancipatory Art, the Undercommons and Radical Pedagogy (Founders' Day Art Talk)

Season 2 | Episode: 1 (Parts 1, 2 & 3)

Episode Description:

In this three-part season premiere of blaxxRADIO, we present the seminal Founders' Day Art Talk delivered by artist-philosopher Prof. kąrî'kạchä seid'ou at blaxTARLINES KUMASI. Tracing the origins and intellectual prehistory of blaxTARLINES, Prof. seid'ou reflects on his early decision to enter a permanent self-imposed exile from the Global North. He outlines the radical pedagogical shifts, historical failures, and resurrections that transformed the Department of Painting and Sculpture at KNUST from a retro-colonial art academy into an experimental, post-media incubator for contemporary African practice. Drawing deep conceptual parallels with Kwame Nkrumah's political philosophy, Alain Badiou's set-theoretical ontology, mathematical topology, and the undercommons, Prof. kąrî'kạchä seid'ou challenges the limits of contemporary identity politics and bourgeois art-market financialization. He proposes an "African unity by other means"—a non-proprietary, non-observant practice that lives out radical emancipation ahead of its time.

About the Speaker: Prof. kąrî'kạchä seid'ou Prof. kąrî'kạchä seid'ou is an artist, philosopher, educator, and leading figure in contemporary African art pedagogy based at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi, Ghana. He is the intellectual progenitor of the Emancipatory Art Teaching movement and a co-founder of blaxTARLINES KUMASI. Through decades of pioneering curricular reform, Prof. kąrî'kạchä seid'ou led the systemic overhaul of KNUST's art program—shifting it away from Eurocentric, technique-bound colonial models toward process-based, egalitarian, and post-media artistic methodologies. Recognised globally for his transformative contributions to art education and institutional critique, his work continues to nurture generations of artists, curators, and critical thinkers reshaping the international contemporary art landscape.

About blaxTARLINES KUMASI blaxTARLINES KUMASI is an experimental contemporary art incubator, project space, and non-profit organisation affiliated with the Department of Fine Art and Curatorial Practice (formerly Department of Painting and Sculpture) at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi, Ghana. Formalised as an institutional entity in 2015, the collective grew out of decades of radical pedagogical reforms led by artist-philosopher Prof. kąrî'kạchä seid'ou and a network of educators, students, and alumni.

Key Foundations & Mission: Pedagogical Revolution: Evolving from seid'ou's Emancipatory Art Teaching movement, blaxTARLINES dismantled retro-colonial, Eurocentric curriculum models in favour of process-based, post-media, and open-source artistic practices. Radical Inclusivity: Operating on egalitarian principles, blaxTARLINES treats art as a site of multiplicity: embracing performance, installation, sound, social practice, site-specificity, and everyday vernacular materials alongside traditional and contemporary media. Alternative Economies: Challenges the hyper-commercialization of the art market by promoting art as a gift, site of knowledge-sharing, and collective resource.

Impact & Scale: blaxTARLINES serves as an essential nexus for contemporary West African art, pioneering major off-site, large-scale public exhibitions across Ghana (including Gown must go to Town [2015], Cornfields in Accra [2016], and Orderly Disorderly [2017]). Its network of artists, curators, and researchers continues to reshape global contemporary art discourses through international exhibitions, residencies, publication projects, and platform activations.

Credits & Info Series: blaxxRADIO | Art Talk Segment Host: blaxTARLINES KUMASI Speaker: Prof. kąrî'kạchä seid'ou Recording: Dramani Abudulai and Moses Serugo (2026) Theme Song: Zegedevi by ZAGUNOR and Megborna Post-production: Megborna @ The SHRINE (Tech Sec, KNUST Campus)

Listen now and join the conversation!

Episode Title: African Unity by Other Means: Emancipatory Art, the Undercommons and Radical Pedagogy (Founders' Day Art Talk)

Season 2 | Episode: 1 (Parts 1, 2 & 3)

Episode Description:

In this three-part season premiere of blaxxRADIO, we present the seminal Founders' Day Art Talk delivered by artist-philosopher Prof. kąrî'kạchä seid'ou at blaxTARLINES KUMASI. Tracing the origins and intellectual prehistory of blaxTARLINES, Prof. seid'ou reflects on his early decision to enter a permanent self-imposed exile from the Global North. He outlines the radical pedagogical shifts, historical failures, and resurrections that transformed the Department of Painting and Sculpture at KNUST from a retro-colonial art academy into an experimental, post-media incubator for contemporary African practice. Drawing deep conceptual parallels with Kwame Nkrumah's political philosophy, Alain Badiou's set-theoretical ontology, mathematical topology, and the undercommons, Prof. kąrî'kạchä seid'ou challenges the limits of contemporary identity politics and bourgeois art-market financialization. He proposes an "African unity by other means"—a non-proprietary, non-observant practice that lives out radical emancipation ahead of its time.

About the Speaker: Prof. kąrî'kạchä seid'ou Prof. kąrî'kạchä seid'ou is an artist, philosopher, educator, and leading figure in contemporary African art pedagogy based at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi, Ghana. He is the intellectual progenitor of the Emancipatory Art Teaching movement and a co-founder of blaxTARLINES KUMASI. Through decades of pioneering curricular reform, Prof. kąrî'kạchä seid'ou led the systemic overhaul of KNUST's art program—shifting it away from Eurocentric, technique-bound colonial models toward process-based, egalitarian, and post-media artistic methodologies. Recognised globally for his transformative contributions to art education and institutional critique, his work continues to nurture generations of artists, curators, and critical thinkers reshaping the international contemporary art landscape.

About blaxTARLINES KUMASI blaxTARLINES KUMASI is an experimental contemporary art incubator, project space, and non-profit organisation affiliated with the Department of Fine Art and Curatorial Practice (formerly Department of Painting and Sculpture) at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi, Ghana. Formalised as an institutional entity in 2015, the collective grew out of decades of radical pedagogical reforms led by artist-philosopher Prof. kąrî'kạchä seid'ou and a network of educators, students, and alumni.

Key Foundations & Mission: Pedagogical Revolution: Evolving from seid'ou's Emancipatory Art Teaching movement, blaxTARLINES dismantled retro-colonial, Eurocentric curriculum models in favour of process-based, post-media, and open-source artistic practices. Radical Inclusivity: Operating on egalitarian principles, blaxTARLINES treats art as a site of multiplicity: embracing performance, installation, sound, social practice, site-specificity, and everyday vernacular materials alongside traditional and contemporary media. Alternative Economies: Challenges the hyper-commercialization of the art market by promoting art as a gift, site of knowledge-sharing, and collective resource.

Impact & Scale: blaxTARLINES serves as an essential nexus for contemporary West African art, pioneering major off-site, large-scale public exhibitions across Ghana (including Gown must go to Town [2015], Cornfields in Accra [2016], and Orderly Disorderly [2017]). Its network of artists, curators, and researchers continues to reshape global contemporary art discourses through international exhibitions, residencies, publication projects, and platform activations.

Credits & Info Series: blaxxRADIO | Art Talk Segment Host: blaxTARLINES KUMASI Speaker: Prof. kąrî'kạchä seid'ou Recording: Dramani Abudulai and Moses Serugo (2026) Theme Song: Zegedevi by ZAGUNOR and Megborna Post-production: Megborna @ The SHRINE (Tech Sec, KNUST Campus)

Listen now and join the conversation!

Episode 05: Godfried Donkor: On African Presence in Venice and more

About This Episode

In this installment of the Art Talk series, we are joined by the internationally acclaimed painter and pioneer of African contemporary art, Godfried Donkor. Together with his interlocutors, Dr. Adjo Daiki Apodey Kisser, Dr. Bernard Akoi-Jackson, and Kwaku Boafo Kissiedu (Castro), we trace Donkor's expansive journey in art. Donkor reflects on the shifting terrain of contemporary art from 2001 until now. The conversation turns to the present moment, examining his participation in the late Koyo Kouoh's curatorial vision, In Minor Keys, for the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia. We also explore his deep, enduring structural connections to the blaxTARLINES KUMASI community and how historical narratives continue to shape our present visual culture.

Profiles

Godfred Donkor (Guest) Born in Kumasi, Ghana, Godfred Donkor is an internationally renowned multidisciplinary artist whose practice interrogates the shared history and commercial intersections between Africa and Europe. Known globally for his intricate collage, painting, and print work, Donkor explores complex sociopolitical histories, colonial interventions, and the commodification of the human body. He has exhibited extensively worldwide, including early historic presentations in Venice, and serves as a vital curatorial voice, institutional mentor, and collaborator within the West African contemporary art ecosystem.

Dr. Adjo Daiki Apodey Kisser (Interviewer) Dr. Adjo Daiki Apodey Kisser is an artist-scholar and lecturer whose practice investigates the evolving parameters of community-based artistic production, feminism, and collaborative methodologies. Graduating as Valedictorian from KNUST before pursuing international research exchanges in Germany, her work explores art as a social gift rather than a mere commodity. She is an active member of the blaxTARLINES KUMASI experimental incubator and has co-authored pivotal peer-reviewed histories on the Kumasi art revolution.

Dr. Bernard Akoi-Jackson (Co-interviewer) Dr. Bernard Akoi-Jackson is an artist, writer, and academic whose work exists as a project in continual metamorphosis. Employing critical absurdity, jests, and "pseudo-rituals," Akoi-Jackson moves seamlessly between performance, installation, choreography, and poetry to confront the complexities of post-colonial identities and collective history. A foundational force within contemporary Ghanaian visual art critique, he is a lecturer at the Department of Fine Art and Curatorial Studies, KNUST, and a core member of the blaxTARLINES collective.

Kwaku Boafo Kissiedu / Castro (Co-interviewer) Kwaku Boafo Kissiedu (popularly known as Castro) is a highly influential artist, trans-disciplinary researcher, and senior lecturer at the Department of Fine Art and Curatorial Studies, KNUST. A co-founder of blaxTARLINES KUMASI, his pedagogical and artistic practice has been instrumental in reshaping contemporary art education in Ghana. Kissiedu's work critically engages with systemic institutional structures, material culture, and transformative social spaces, mentoring generations of radical contemporary artists within the West African art ecosystem.

Credits & Info

Series: blaxxRADIO | Art Talk Segment Hosts: Dr. Adjo Daiki Apodey Kisser, Dr. Bernard Akoi-Jackson, Kwaku Boafo Kissiedu (Castro) Guest: Godfried Donkor Location: In Venice Theme Song: Zegedevi by ZAGUNOR and Megborna Post-production: Megborna @ The SHRINE (Tech Sec, KNUST Campus)

Listen now and join the conversation

RADIO PLAY DESCRIPTION:

CHANGES: A Radio Play Based on the novel by Ama Ata Aidoo Produced for blaxTARLINES by the Legon Prɛkɛsɛ Theatre Group

About This Production

You are listening to a special radio adaptation of Ama Ata Aidoo's seminal novel, Changes: A Love Story.

This production reimagines Aidoo's complex exploration of African womanhood, marriage, and the tensions between tradition and modernity in contemporary Ghana. The play is adapted for the airwaves and directed by Dr. Agyeman Ossei (Dota). Drawing on his extensive background as a dramatist and former Director of the National Theatre, Ossei "directs" the sonic space to bring Aidoo's sharp dialogue and emotional depth to life. Through the Legon Prekese Theatre Group, this performance serves as a bridge between the literary masterwork and the oral tradition form of radio drama.

The Cast Esi Sakyi: Daniella Asare Adu Oko: Richard Oti Oppong Opokuya Darkwa: Nana Pokua Ossei Acheampong Ali Kondey: Kobina Hagan Kubi: Gershon Agbeko Chorus I: Iddrisu Seidu Kananzoe Chorus II & Ena: Mavis Owusu Abrokwah Chorus II & Nana: Ewurafua Biney Fusena, Waitress, & Receptionist: Vivian Boateng

Additional Characters: Kweku: Chris Parker Edzodzinam Sefogah (MEGBORNA) Extra Sound Effects: Veronica Baidoo & Tracy Amponsah Mensah Extra Credits Narration: Blanche Boni-Mississo

Credits & Info Original Author: Ama Ata Aidoo Radio Adaptation & Direction: Agyeman Ossei Production House: Legon Prɛkɛsɛ Theatre Group for blaxTARLINES Series: blaxxRADIO | Performance Series Sound Design: Richard Oti Oppong Music and Percussions: Nana Boadu Amoah & Jacob Bruce Sound Engineering: Megborna Adegbo Kalaze & Kofi Labayil Kudornu Recording & Post Production Studio: Megborna, at The SHRINE,KNUST, Kumasi Production Manager: Kobina Hagan

RADIO PLAY DESCRIPTION:

CHANGES: A Radio Play Based on the novel by Ama Ata Aidoo Produced for blaxTARLINES by the Legon Prɛkɛsɛ Theatre Group

About This Production

You are listening to a special radio adaptation of Ama Ata Aidoo's seminal novel, Changes: A Love Story.

This production reimagines Aidoo's complex exploration of African womanhood, marriage, and the tensions between tradition and modernity in contemporary Ghana. The play is adapted for the airwaves and directed by Dr. Agyeman Ossei (Dota). Drawing on his extensive background as a dramatist and former Director of the National Theatre, Ossei "directs" the sonic space to bring Aidoo's sharp dialogue and emotional depth to life. Through the Legon Prekese Theatre Group, this performance serves as a bridge between the literary masterwork and the oral tradition form of radio drama.

The Cast Esi Sakyi: Daniella Asare Adu Oko: Richard Oti Oppong Opokuya Darkwa: Nana Pokua Ossei Acheampong Ali Kondey: Kobina Hagan Kubi: Gershon Agbeko Chorus I: Iddrisu Seidu Kananzoe Chorus II & Ena: Mavis Owusu Abrokwah Chorus II & Nana: Ewurafua Biney Fusena, Waitress, & Receptionist: Vivian Boateng

Additional Characters: Kweku: Chris Parker Edzodzinam Sefogah (MEGBORNA) Extra Sound Effects: Veronica Baidoo & Tracy Amponsah Mensah Extra Credits Narration: Blanche Boni-Mississo

Credits & Info Original Author: Ama Ata Aidoo Radio Adaptation & Direction: Agyeman Ossei Production House: Legon Prɛkɛsɛ Theatre Group for blaxTARLINES Series: blaxxRADIO | Performance Series Sound Design: Richard Oti Oppong Music and Percussions: Nana Boadu Amoah & Jacob Bruce Sound Engineering: Megborna Adegbo Kalaze & Kofi Labayil Kudornu Recording & Post Production Studio: Megborna, at The SHRINE,KNUST, Kumasi Production Manager: Kobina Hagan

RADIO PLAY DESCRIPTION:

CHANGES: A Radio Play Based on the novel by Ama Ata Aidoo Produced for blaxTARLINES by the Legon Prɛkɛsɛ Theatre Group

About This Production

You are listening to a special radio adaptation of Ama Ata Aidoo's seminal novel, Changes: A Love Story.

This production reimagines Aidoo's complex exploration of African womanhood, marriage, and the tensions between tradition and modernity in contemporary Ghana. The play is adapted for the airwaves and directed by Dr. Agyeman Ossei (Dota). Drawing on his extensive background as a dramatist and former Director of the National Theatre, Ossei "directs" the sonic space to bring Aidoo's sharp dialogue and emotional depth to life. Through the Legon Prekese Theatre Group, this performance serves as a bridge between the literary masterwork and the oral tradition form of radio drama.

The Cast Esi Sakyi: Daniella Asare Adu Oko: Richard Oti Oppong Opokuya Darkwa: Nana Pokua Ossei Acheampong Ali Kondey: Kobina Hagan Kubi: Gershon Agbeko Chorus I: Iddrisu Seidu Kananzoe Chorus II & Ena: Mavis Owusu Abrokwah Chorus II & Nana: Ewurafua Biney Fusena, Waitress, & Receptionist: Vivian Boateng

Additional Characters: Kweku: Chris Parker Edzodzinam Sefogah (MEGBORNA) Extra Sound Effects: Veronica Baidoo & Tracy Amponsah Mensah Extra Credits Narration: Blanche Boni-Mississo

Credits & Info Original Author: Ama Ata Aidoo Radio Adaptation & Direction: Agyeman Ossei Production House: Legon Prɛkɛsɛ Theatre Group for blaxTARLINES Series: blaxxRADIO | Performance Series Sound Design: Richard Oti Oppong Music and Percussions: Nana Boadu Amoah & Jacob Bruce Sound Engineering: Megborna Adegbo Kalaze & Kofi Labayil Kudornu Recording & Post Production Studio: Megborna, at The SHRINE,KNUST, Kumasi Production Manager: Kobina Hagan