Sustainability and fuel consumption patterns in traditional firewood kilns: Implications for the pottery industry in Ghana

Traditional firewood kilns remain central to artisanal pottery across sub-Saharan Africa, yet their energy inefficiencies and emissions remain largely unquantified. This study integrates thermodynamic and systems theory approaches to assess the sustainability performance of 19 firewood kilns at the Mfensi Pottery Centre in Ghana. Field measurements and user interviews revealed that kiln thermal efficiency ranged between 12.4% and 21.6%, with mean firewood consumption of 0.82 kg kg?¹ of fired clay. High heat losses through uninsulated walls and uncontrolled airflow contributed to excess CO? emissions of 2.3-3.1 kg kg?¹ output, underscoring both technological and behavioural inefficiencies. Applying systems feedback analysis, the study highlights how socio-economic constraints reinforce technological stagnation and unsustainable biomass dependence. It recommends locally adaptable insulation retrofits and standardized kiln designs that could enhance efficiency by over 35%, supporting Ghana’s transition toward low-carbon artisanal industries and the broader Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 7, 12, and 13)

Feedback as a Motivational Catalyst: The Mediating Role of Self-Efficacy in the Relationship Between Formative Assessment and Student Engagement Across Diverse Cultural Contexts in Ghana

This study explored the relationship between formative feedback and student engagement among junior high school students in culturally diverse classrooms in Ghana, emphasising the mediating role of self-efficacy and the moderating influence of cultural context. Drawing on social cognitive theory and formative assessment principles, a cross-sectional survey was conducted with 600 students across six administrative regions. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, and structural equation modelling (SEM), with bootstrapping techniques employed to assess mediation effects. The results revealed a strong positive relationship between formative feedback and student engagement (r = 0.273, p < 0.001), with self-efficacy serving as a significant partial mediator (indirect effect = 0.23, 95% CI [0.16, 0.30]). Cultural factors, particularly regional and ethnic differences, influenced the strength of this relationship, with students in urban regions such as Greater Accra experiencing greater engagement benefits from feedback. The SEM model demonstrated good fit (CFI = 0.958, TLI = 0.942, RMSEA = 0.045). Findings highlight the motivational power of formative feedback and the need for culturally responsive classroom assessment. Recommendations include enhancing teacher training to foster students’ self-efficacy and adapting feedback practices to diverse socio-cultural contexts

FROM RITUAL TO FESTIVAL: OFALA AS CULTURAL PERFORMANCE IN CONTEMPORARY IGBO SOCIETY

Ofala is a historically instituted event in Onitsha, Umueri and other neighboring communities as a sacralised royal ritual that functions as a mechanism of spiritual renewal, political legitimation, and cosmological order, centering the Obi as both ritual and symbolic authority. In contemporary Igbo society, however, Ofala has increasingly been reconstituted beyond its original ritual context and homeland, appearing as a public cultural festival in many communities such as Okeani/Aniyi, Ohuani and Isienu Amagunze Autonomous Communities among others. This paper examines the implication of this shift, interrogating how a localised sacred institution is transformed through processes of cultural replication, aesthetic reconfiguration, public performance and public utility. Employing a qualitative comparative framework grounded in ritual studies and performance theory, the study analyses differences in ritual protocol, symbolic density, spatial organisation, performative authority, and modes of participation between Onitsha Ofala and its contemporary manifestations elsewhere in Igboland. The findings demonstrate that while the Ofala retains a strong ritual core characterised by restricted access, priestly mediation, and cosmological obligation, it now exhibits a marked shift toward inclusivity, spectacle, and cultural display, resulting in a partial desacralisation of ritual meaning. The paper argues that this transformation does not merely signify cultural loss but reflects broader dynamics of adaptation and identity negotiation within modern Igbo society. By situating Ofala within debates on ritual continuity, cultural ownership, and festivals, the study contributes to scholarship on the reconfiguration of indigenous institutions in contemporary African public life

The Kakube festival of Nandom Traditional Area: Origin, musical traditions, and educational relevance in Ghana

Despite Ghana’s rich indigenous festivals and musical traditions, many remain under-documented and insufficiently integrated into formal educational frameworks, leading to the marginalisation of indigenous knowledge systems in cultural and music education. The Kakube Festival of the Nandom Traditional Area is a vibrant cultural event that embodies the community’s historical consciousness, musical heritage, and social values; yet its educational relevance has received limited scholarly attention. This study explores the origins, musical traditions, and educational relevance of the Kakube Festival, with particular emphasis on its role in cultural identity formation, social cohesion, and community development. Adopting a qualitative research approach, the study examines the festival’s distinctive musical traditions, including indigenous drumming, singing and dance practices, and analyses their functions in cultural transmission, socialisation, and communal participation. The findings reveal that Kakube musical performances do not only serve as artistic expressions but also as informal educational tools through which history, values and collective identity are communicated across generations. This study underscores the importance of repositioning local cultural practices as valuable resources for holistic education and sustainable community development in Ghana

NIGERIAN GOSPEL MUSICIANS’ PERCEPTION OF ILLNESS, HEALING AND ITS RELEVANCE: SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL REALITIES

The popularity and influence of gospel music grows by the day in Nigeria and has drawn scholars’ attention generating discussions on different aspects of it. However, the theme of illness and healing in the content of the Nigerian gospel music is an ongoing discourse. The focus of this paper is therefore, to discuss the relevance of the perception of the Nigerian gospel musicians on illness and healing to the social, economic and political realities of the country. The qualitative methodology is engaged with content and discographical analysis of some Nigerian gospel songs in order to discuss the manifestations of illness and healing in the songs and to discuss their relevance to the social, economic and political realities of the country. Interview with some gospel musicians is also employed. The paper relies on George Soros’ reflexivity theory as its theoretical framework. It is observed that there are terms, descriptions and symbolic representations in the gospel songs for illness and healing that are not unconnected with the expressions used in the context of the culture and traditions within which the musicians grow. The paper concludes that the gospel musicians’ perception of illness and healing is relevant to the social, economic and political realities of Nigeria because they help in the identification of the dimensions of illness, give insight into the real state of affairs, air the views of the citizens, react to the situation that they identify and proffer what they perceive as solution to the identified problems

Teachers’ Use of Assistive Technology in STEM Instruction for Students with Visual Impairment in Inclusive Basic Schools in Ghana

Assistive technology is important for improving access to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) instruction for learners with visual impairment in inclusive classrooms. However, in Ghana, its use in inclusive basic schools remains limited and inconsistent. This qualitative multiple-case study explored how teachers use assistive technology in STEM instruction for learners with visual impairment in three historically inclusive basic schools in Ghana. All twenty-one (21) teachers teaching STEM-related subjects in the selected schools participated in the study. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and review of assistive technology resources, and were analysed thematically. The findings showed that teachers relied mainly on basic braille-related resources, while access to low-vision devices, digital tools, and specialised STEM assistive technologies was limited and uneven across schools. Assistive technology was used primarily to improve access to visual and text-based STEM content, support mathematical tasks, and promote participation in classroom activities. However, such use was not consistent and was often dependent on the availability of resources and teachers’ confidence in using them. Factors that supported integration included teacher training, collaboration with specialists, supportive school leadership, and resource availability. Key barriers included inadequate training, limited and costly assistive technology, weak infrastructure, curriculum and assessment pressures, and insufficient institutional support. The study concludes that although teachers show commitment to inclusive STEM instruction, sustained use of assistive technology is constrained by inadequate resources and weak support systems. It recommends increased provision of STEM-related assistive technology, continuous teacher professional development, and stronger school-level support to improve inclusive STEM instruction for learners with visual impairment in Ghana

Academic rites and cultural symbolism: Artistic representation of the Aboakyer Deer for the University of Education, Winneba Chancellor’s Investiture

In contemporary academic institutions, the integration of indigenous cultural symbolism into formal ceremonies serves as a critical mechanism for preserving heritage and fostering community inclusion. Situated within this context, the distinct cultural heritage of the Effutu municipality and the academic ceremonies at the University of Education, Winneba, offer a unique framework for examining this synergy. This paper explores the artistic design, construction, and theatrical integration of the Aboakyer Deer, a sacred symbol of the Effutu people, in the Chancellor’s Investiture ceremony at the University of Education, Winneba (UEW). Adopting a studio-based research paradigm and an aesthetic-action research design, the project documents the technical and creative processes involved in translating a cultural icon into a functional theatrical property (prop). The creation process was theoretically grounded in Csikszentmihalyi’s Flow theory, highlighting the psychological immersive state required for artistic production. The paper details the construction techniques, utilising foam, synthetic fur, and structural engineering, to achieve a realistic representation suitable for ceremonial display. Findings indicate that the visual presence of the constructed Deer enhanced the aesthetic spectacle of the investiture and successfully bridged the gap between academic traditions and the host community’s customs. The paper concludes that fusing traditional iconography with academic rites cultivates a sense of identity and cultural pride, validating prop construction as a vital form of scholarly and cultural practice within institutional storytelling

Nsasawa: A mixed-media interactive re-envisioning black exoticism in Ghanaian socio-political archives

This paper examines historical Black exotic imagery through Nsasawa mixed-media interactive project. In the Akan words Nsasawa represents a process of interlinking or interweaving cloths/traditions. Digital arrangements of West African Kente cloth and wax print fabrics placed over 17th-19th century Black exoticism partings from British art galleries attempt to establish a connection between past and present while taking back authority from these historical portraits. Through the digital collage and patching process, sensors are woven into the fabric overlay to create an interactive space where the viewers movement activates various layered responses that speak to contemporary issues of representation, memory, and the "uncanny" aspects of these exoticised depictions. The outcomes offer a critical re-envisioning that connects the exoticised subject positions directly to postcolonial theories by scholars like Frantz Fanon, Homi Bahbah, and Paul Gilroy regarding identity, cultural hybridity and the spectral remains of colonialism that linger into the present. By invoking the Akan concept of "Nsasawa," this mixed-media project aims to re-weave these archival hauntings from the past into a thoughtful, interactive experience that demands an engagement with how such fetishised representations live on to shape cultural fantasies and fears regarding Blackness today. The outcomes explore what truths may lie beneath these ghostly images through a digital patching process that creates an uncanny space of the exoticised subjects represented, reanimating them through an artist-fabric-sensor reworking to speak back from another temporal and cultural position

MAPPING THE BARRIERS TO DEAF THEATRE PRACTICE IN GHANA

Despite global advances in inclusive theatre, deaf individuals in Ghana remain largely excluded from the performing arts, a topic severely neglected in local scholarship. This qualitative study maps the barriers to deaf theatre in Cape Coast by engaging nineteen participants from the Cape Coast School for the Deaf and Blind, including students, staff, and hearing audience members. Grounded in the social model of disability and social inclusion theory, data from interviews and observations reveal five interconnected obstacles: financial constraints limiting resources and personnel; a lack of technical facilities and trained instructors proficient in deaf education and sign language; time pressures within school schedules; and deeply entrenched attitudinal barriers, where societal misconceptions frame deafness as an inability. Despite these challenges, the proactive formation of a student cultural troupe demonstrates resilience and a refusal to accept these barriers as fixed. This study makes significant contributions by addressing a critical gap in Ghanaian scholarship, which has prioritised education and health over cultural access. It provides the first empirically grounded analysis of its kind, operationalising the social model within the cultural realm and offering a diagnostic framework to guide intervention. The findings underscore an urgent need for dedicated funding, infrastructure investment, professional development, and advocacy to foster genuine inclusion

CULTURAL MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES IN THE SACRED AND SECULAR PERFORMANCES OF AGAN FESTIVAL OF EGOSI IN KWARA STATE, NIGERIA

The effective management of cultural activities especially the traditional festivals has been observed to have been a crucial factor in the attainment of economic growth, national development and cultural recognition as heritage festival by UNESCO. However, Agan festival of Egosi people in Kwara State, Nigeria, has been observed to have restrictive factors such as under-utilisation of mainstream and social media for promotion and being regarded as an archaic practice which hindered its popularity. This paper, therefore, examined the cultural management strategies in the sacred and secular performances of the Agan festival of Egosi, Kwara State, Nigeria to find out how the festival has survived over the years. Qualitative research design is adopted with interview and participant-observation instruments to gather data for the paper. The study revealed that the cultural management of the Agan festival relies on a model combining sacred management and secular management with the participation of multiple community subjects. Despite the number of towns and villages in the Kwara South senatorial district where Agan festival is celebrated, the festival faced the challenges of fund shortage and insufficient promotion in spite of its unique spiritual, socio-cultural and economic potentials to the Egosi people. The paper recommended the intervention of government and private corporations in the areas of financial intervention, promotion and cultural orientation. It is concluded that Agan festival as a mini cultural event can metamorphose into a larger one through adequate finance and promotion