The University of Ghana’s Department of History has held its maiden memorial lecture in honour of the late Emeritus Professor Albert Adu Boahen, a pioneering Ghanaian historian.
The event, held at the West African Genetic Medicine Centre auditorium, celebrated Prof. Boahen’s contributions to African historiography and called on scholars to advance African perspectives in research and cultural preservation.
Speaking under the theme “Boahen, History and the Archives: A Personal Reflection”, Head of Department Dr. Cyrelene Amoah-Boampong announced that the lecture will become a regular feature on the department’s calendar.
‘’As the head of the Department of History, it is my honour to inaugurate the Albert Adu Boahen Memorial Lecture today as a permanent part of the academic calendar of the University of Ghana,” she stated.
She also acknowledged support from the Adu Boahen Foundation toward the establishment of the department’s new memorial library.
Dean of the School of Arts, Prof. Wazi Apoh, urged students to make full use of the library’s resources and to combine historical analysis with creativity in their academic work.
“I would encourage us all to continue to value history, historical documentation, historical analysis, our key to learn from our past, to foster development. Because if we forget the past, we will try to reinvent the wheel. We will accept the events, and all we need to do is to punish them. Be creative, add more innovations to our work. So, I will not speak too much, but I will end by saying that, students, let’s be encouraged and let’s feel inspired,” he added.
Delivering the keynote address, retired professor from the University of Education, Winneba, Professor Kofi Darkwah, reflected on his personal encounters with Prof. Boahen, noting his trailblazing role as the first Ghanaian to earn a PhD in History. He encouraged young historians to build on Boahen’s legacy.
‘’The historical fraternity within Ghana, Africa, and the wider world, the name Professor Adu Boahen is, without exaggeration, a household name. In his lifetime, Bohen was many things rolled into one. He was best known as a historian, but he was also a publisher, a politician, and, believe it or not, a farmer with a farm in Dunkwa,” he revealed.
‘’In addition, Boahen was the originator of the term ‘Kontompiat’, the etymology and precise meaning of which he only knew. Boahen not only wrote history, but he also made history, as we may all know. I hope that from now on, the next generation of scholars will continue to keep Adu Bohen’s contributions alive, acknowledge the intellectual space he made possible for them, and enliven that space for those who will come after them,” he concluded.
The event also featured poster presentations by postgraduate students from History, Religion, Philosophy and Classics, and Archaeology and Heritage Studies.
In attendance were academics from the University of Cape Coast, former heads of the UG History Department, and other distinguished guests.
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Story by Oliver Arthur Acorlor|univers.ug.edu.gh
Edited by Michelle Lartey
