Dr. Sarah Dogbadzi Ossei, a drama and arts expert, has called for the protection and more research into indigenous arts as they remain “the lifeline” of the nation.
According to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Artistic Director of Lododo Art Foundation, “the solution to the problems we have in the country is in the arts hence the need to pay critical attention to that sector.”
The CEO, also a Senior Lecturer at the Theater Arts Department, School of Performing Arts, University of Ghana,[pictured above] was speaking to the Ghana News Agency, after staging the show titled: “Na Wo Se Sɛn” (What Do You Say) at the Efua Sutherland Theater Studio, Legon.
“Art is the soul of every society. Art keeps society alive and balanced; it is the lifeline of society, but we do not pay attention to it. If the soul decides to desert us, we become miserable and empty,” she said.
Described as night of ‘art conversations,’ the show blended poetry, music, dance, and Ghanaian folktale.
Dr. Dogbadzi Ossei, whose stagecraft won the admiration of audiences, observed that indigenous story-telling culture was gradually fading especially among the youth, hence the effort to revive that culture by combining various forms of art on one stage.
She said “Na Wo Se Sɛn” was to create a platform for important conversations that would inform policy decisions.
The academic, on a mission to revive storytelling in Ghana, said the concept emerged from the need to pass on the rich values embedded in local folktales.
“When my son was three years old, he told me to tell him a story. I sat in many storytelling sessions but I could not remember any story I was told as a child. It was time to introduce him to the holding of our ancestral archive; I could not say I had lost the key. I had to find it. So, I got the inspiration to start the revival of storytelling,” she said.
As an art enthusiast, she has been on the mission for the past 15 years and seeking herself through the self-funded Lododo Art Foundation, which she established five years ago.
“I have intentions of making them (Ghanaian folk stories) into animation for young people on the internet where we do not have proper representation of what is called African. But it all requires funding,” she added.
Dr. Dogbadzi Ossei said a number of folk stories had already been translated into audio-visual format for research purposes but further stressed the relevance of creating a platform for young people to “express themselves and share their experiences.”