Accra, Aug. 01 – In a passionate call to action, Dr. Joseph Silver, Managing Partner of Silver and Associates, urged African storytellers to take charge of sharing unfiltered stories of Africa’s creative genius through the arts. Addressing the audience at the third international conference on African arts, organized by the Pan African Heritage World Museum in collaboration with the African University College of Communications (AUCC), Dr. Silver emphasized the importance of portraying the true uniqueness of African people.
The theme of the three-day conference was “Global Africa: (re)narrating our stories with our creative arts,” aiming to challenge the misrepresentations that have plagued Africa’s narrative. Dr. Silver stressed the need to unlearn and correct misconceptions about Africans, highlighting their significant contributions to global peace and development. The ultimate goal of the conference, along with the previous two, is the establishment of the Pan African Heritage Museum—a platform to showcase and celebrate the remarkable expertise and contemporary contributions of Africans both on the continent and in the diaspora.
During the conference, Professor Kofi Anyidoho presented three narratives of African enslavement, which explored the redemptive power of migration in transforming brutal historical experiences. The presentations featured videos, novels, and narratives of the Atlantic Slave Trade, underlining the vital role of creative imagination in documenting these critical aspects of history. Additionally, the event showcased a documentary by Professor Sheila S Walker, revealing the diverse African descendants living across the world, their proud embrace of their origins, and the preservation of African culture, music, dance, and traditions.
The Pan African Heritage Museum, currently under construction in Pomadze, Winneba, Ghana, is set to become a beacon of African history, culture, and art, using African voices, tools, and traditions to convey the authentic story of Africa to the world.
