2018 JB Danquah lecture launched; focuses on women

This year’s edition of JB Danquah memorial lecture has been launched at the Ghana Academy of Arts and Science (GAAS) in Accra.

The three day event which commenced on Monday, 26th February is on the theme ‘Women in history: the case of Ghana – pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial’.

With a focus on women, this year’s speaker, Professor Akosua Adoma Perbi, author of ‘A History of Indigenous Slavery in Ghana from the 15th to the 19th Century’ is expected to bring into focus, the significant role of women in society.

In her opening lecture, the professor of history touched on the role of women in precolonial times saying “going through the pages of world history, it is significant to observe contributions women have made to their societies to modern times.”

The second lecture, according to Professor Perbi, will be used to assess the impact of colonialism on the roles of women.

This year’s lecture will be concluded by highlighting roles, “illustrating examples in our history and ending with the caption ‘we have always been visible – voices of Ghanaian women, through time and space’”, she added.

This is considered a significant lecture, especially at a time when the intensity feminism has led a lot of Ghanaian women to question their roles in society.

Professor Aba Bentil Andam, President of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Science, will chair this year’s event.

Schools present at the opening day of this year’s series included the Presbyterian Boys’ Secondary School, Accra girls’ Senior High School and Kaneshie Wesley Girls’ senior high school.