The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology's Centre for Cultural and African Studies, with the University of East Anglia (UK) and the University of Copenhagen (Denmark), have launched a project called "Old Parks, New Futures: Documenting the Uses of Open Space in an African City." The two-year project, which is funded by the prestigious British Academy, which seeks to mentor three early career researchers from KNUST, was launched at the Prempeh Assembly Hall on Monday, 1st November 2021.
Dr. John Boulard Forkuor, Ms. Eugenia Anderson, and Mr. Manuel Jojo Manu-Osafo will research and examine the political history and current use of Jackson Park (now Golden Jubilee Park), founded in 1935 by the British colonial administration and named after a colonial official, Sir Francis Jackson. The Park has suffered from lack of maintenance until it was renovated during Ghana’s Golden Jubilee Anniversary in 2007. The project is anchored on three pillars: 'getting votes,' 'getting noticed,' and 'getting by’.
The Director of the Centre for Cultural and African Studies (CeCASt), Dr. George Bob-Milliar in his welcome address stated that the project is in line with KNUST’s Vision 2020-24. The project directly promotes four out of the eight themes captured in the Vision 2020-24 document. The project will directly contribute to four themes, namely, ‘human capital development and staff welfare’; ‘impactful research and innovation’; ‘making KNUST visible to the global world’ and ‘constructive partnerships.’
Professor Ben Jones of the University of East Anglia (UK) congratulated KNUST for winning such a competitive research grant from the prestigious British Academy which allows KNUST to bring together urban planners, geographers, historians, and political economists to draw on all resources available to tackle the political/social, cultural landscape of urban parks. He assured his utmost commitment to work with KNUST to make the project successful.
Professor Karen Lauterbach from the University of Copenhagen thanked the university and the local community for the warm reception received so far and promised to work hard to deepen the collaboration with KNUST. According to her, urban parks and open spaces are important in all cities for its different uses and purposes. She stressed the need to have a good understanding of the different roles and uses of parks to different groups of people to better understand the role such parks play to the natives. She, thus, called on all stakeholders to provide the needed assistance to understand the roles and significance of urban parks.
The Special Guest of Honour, Nana Kofi Kyei Baffour II, Asemhene giving a brief history of the Jubilee Park, lauded KNUST’s commitment to documenting the uses of the park. He hoped that the future generation would be informed about the rich history and culture of the Asem Town and appreciate it’s evolvement.
Dr. Wilhelmina Donkoh of the History and Political Studies Department tasked the researchers to brace themselves for the huge task ahead.
