Sankofa Art Education

Book excerpt: This study is a curriculum research project that focuses on teaching the traditional arts of Ghana and enduring artistic ideas to Ghanaian basic school students. It has been designed based on data from a survey conducted with experts in Ghana arts history and on the traditional arts of Ghana. The curriculum covers the major arts practiced by the traditional artists. It also recognizes some contemporary Ghanaian artists and their artworks. This study offers insights into Ghanaian basic school art teachers' philosophies and experience with their traditional arts. Through analysis of the findings, the major themes that emerged were changes in the assessment strategies of the national curriculum for Creative Art subject, the opportunities this new curriculum might bring to multicultural education, and the positive effect this curriculum has had on teachers' understanding and designing of traditional art lessons.