Unearthing Ghana’s Hidden Heritage: A Journey Through the Northern Kingdoms

In our ongoing project, “Unearthing Ghana’s Hidden Heritage: Exploring Historical Artifacts in Northern Kingdoms,” we have made significant strides in documenting and preserving the rich cultural artifacts of Northern Ghana. This initiative, supported by the Creative Commons Activity Fund, aims to bring the treasures of the Dagbon, Mamprugu, and Waala Kingdoms to the world through Wikimedia platforms.

We began with an initial team meeting, setting the stage for our project’s activities. A dedicated meta page was created for the project, along with a special upload page on Wikimedia Commons. We are proud to announce that over 200 images have already been uploaded, showcasing a variety of artifacts and our meeting sessions.

Our community engagement efforts have been particularly fruitful. Workshops were held in Tamale, Nanton, Savelugu, and Diare, where we engaged with traditional leaders, youth groups, educators, and other stakeholders. These discussions focused on gaining approval to photograph and preserve artifacts, some of which are housed in sacred palaces and require special rituals before being photographed. 

Through these dialogues, we highlighted the importance of preserving these artifacts digitally to prevent their eventual decay and loss. The community’s response has been encouraging, with many understanding the need to share these cultural treasures on the internet for future generations.

Pottery, a significant part of the local heritage, is facing the risk of being forgotten. We visited the homes of the last generation of pottery producers to document their products and processes. These items, once essential for daily life in the northern Kingdoms of Ghana, are now crucial cultural references that need preservation. The producers indicated that their children are not interested in learning the art and craft of the pottery products and they fear there will be no more those products after their generation.

In Wa, we conducted a Wikimedia Commons and Wikidata training session with members of the Dagaare Wikimedia Community. Supported by the Dagbani Wikimedians User Group, this session prepared participants to take and upload images of artifacts and create corresponding Wikidata entries. This training ensures that the local community is empowered to contribute to the preservation of their heritage.

Our partnership with the Red Clay Archival Center has enabled us to document and share a wealth of tangible artifacts via Wikimedia Commons, helping to ensure that these cultural treasures are accessible to a global audience. During our collaboration, we engaged with Mr. Ibrahim Mahama, a renowned Ghanaian artist and the center’s founder, to discuss the critical need for cultural heritage preservation online to complement his efforts to preserve them physically.

Mr. Mahama emphasized the urgent need to instill a sense of responsibility for cultural heritage among the youth, particularly in northern Ghana, where interest in preserving traditions and culture is waning. He appreciated our initiative to complement the physical preservation of artifacts at the center by digitizing them and making them freely available under Creative Commons licenses. 

Following his suggestion, we are planning a forum at his studio, specifically targeting secondary school students, to raise awareness about the importance of preserving cultural heritage in the digital age. Mr. Mahama believes that by educating young people on these issues, we can cultivate a generation that values and actively participates in cultural heritage preservation, thereby making our work more sustainable and impactful in the long term.

Next Steps

As we move forward, our focus will be on completing the documentation and uploading of some more images by October. Some of the yet to be uploaded images require the approval of the traditional authorities and our engagement with them so far have been fruitful and we hope that by October, we will be able to gain access to and photograph most of these artifacts that are locally kept and are getting worn out. We will also work on creating and improving articles about these images in the Dagbani Wikipedia and Wikidata to ensure these artifacts are well-represented and easily accessible.

This project not only preserves Ghana’s rich heritage but also connects our cultural history with the global community. Stay tuned for more updates as we continue this exciting journey.