From Winneba Open Digital Village Wiki

Contents 1 A.Motivation 2 B.Content 3 C.Achievements 4 D.The feedback from Ghana people 5 E.Problems & Solving ways 6 TWO WORLDS, ONE FAMILY!!

[edit] A.Motivation

With the rapid development of modern technology traditional cultures has been pushed to extinction. Digital technology while often the lead perpetrator can also be used to preserve the content and spirit of traditional culture, enabling it to survive on some level. So even the young people may not have the chance to experience the traditional culture, they still can understand their history and heritage the spirit of it.

The history of Denkyira kingdom started around 1620 A.D. At that time, the Denkyira people traded gold, ivory and kola nuts of the southern part of the forest with the Europeans (Ref.1). For much of its history, the kingdom engaged in a struggle for power with the Asante Kingdom to the north. When we searched on the internet, we realized that it was easy to find information about the Asante kingdom. However, there was hardly any information about the Denkyira kingdom. In the British Museum in London, there are only Asante Kingdom’s artifacts been collect but none form Denkyira Kingdom.

Our teacher, Joy Tang, is the first and only Asian woman to become the queen mother of the Denkyira kingdom in 2008. She was named the queen mother of development, because of her experiences in that area and her passion to help the Denkyira people modernize their society. This includes using ICT to help people in the kingdom and in Ghana to find appropriate global networks and resources to aid in their efforts to promote ecologically sustainable development. Because Denkyira kingdom has a long and great history, she believed that the NTHU students could assist the kingdom with the documentation of their artifacts. She also thought it would be a great example and opportunity for the Denkyira people to learn how we manage the digital archives in Taiwan. The documentation of artifacts of Denkyira Kingdom and the interviewing of the king and the minister of the kingdom provided us with a learning experience that expanded our understanding of the history and culture of this great kingdom.

Ref 1: Asante Catholicism: religious and cultural reproduction among the Akan of Ghana. J. Pashington Obeng.

[edit] B.Content

We used digital cameras to record the digital archive of the Denkyira Kingdom. Since it’s the first time to them, we were only allowed to do the documentation of 12 artifacts of the kingdom. By interviewing the king and the minister, we understand each artifact’s history and usage. The king also allowed us to document his old pictures. These pictures gave us a more clear understanding about the history of the kingdom.

[edit] C.Achievements

We visited the king and his minister of Denkyira kingdom on August 17th, 2009. During this meeting, we asked for their permission in letting us document the artifacts of the Denkyira kingdom. On the afternoon of August 20th, 2009, we started the interview of the minister and digitally archived 12 artifacts. These artifacts represent the unique identity of the Denkyira kingdom and are used in ceremonies (such as the new king's coronation ceremony which we attended while in Ghana) or during wartime. Our work to document the artifacts included the following key steps:

1.The artifacts include:

1. Sword with Parrot Symbol

[1]

2. Sword with Crocodile Symbol [2]

3. Sword[3]

4. Linguist Staff with Ostrich Symbol[4]

5. Linguist Staff with Elephant Symbol[5]

6. Cap[6]

7. Gun[7]

8. War-dress[8]

9. Danka Toa[9]

10. Brass Sword[10]

11. Death Horn[11]

12. Royal Slippers[12]

2.We recorded information about these artifacts during the interview: Twi/English name, material, usage, brief introduction.

3.We also asked several OVF Ghana staff to help us to check the accuracy of the documents.

[edit] D.The feedback from Ghana people

Nana E.K (The nephew of Denkyira king):

We are very grateful to you. What is happening is, the history of Denkyira has not been well told. We are trying to trying to grasp every opportunity that comes our way.

Most of the time the important parts are left because it is most who tell our story. Because, it is mostly not the Denkyira who write our history. Most of the time it is Asante or people from outside who write the history. So many a times it was slighted to suit their whims. So the time has come, for the history of Denkyira to be well told.

We can only pray that the record will be set straight. And so we are grateful for this discourse. We can only pray that your endeavor will help us to come out with the right story.

Nii Tete Saashi Koi (Project Assistant form OVF-Ghana)

The idea of a digital archive for artifacts and articles of a state is very momentous in our times, considering the fact that we are in a digital age.

The history of the Denkyira Kingdom has been overshadowed by that of the Asante Kingdom, or not well told and so it makes this effort to digitize that history and present it to the whole world very timely, and will contribute effectively to the reconstruction of the Kingdom’s history and preservation of its culture.

Team work across boundaries and cultures (OVF, Ghana – NTHU, Taiwan – Chiefs and People of Denkyira, Jukwa) has been able to start something which is now being considered across the world as much needed (cultural preservation).

It is my considered opinion that there is the need to cooperate with Locals, and empower them with relevant technologies and knowledge, so that they can build upon and sustain what has been started.

I am also of the view that when this is presented to the world, it will empower other cultures in Ghana, Africa and the entire world to replicate it to preserve their cultures.

It makes me so proud that I had the opportunity to be part of a program (OVF-NTHU EcoTour 2009) which undertook such a venture.

Feedback both from the public and the people at the Denkyira palace

Interviewed by Emmanuel Richardson (young people from Cape Coast):

We expect that you going on with this documentary will open the gate of opportunity for development to the kingdom.

We really love and appreciate the good work of Joy, for even bringing people very far from their country for this document which has a purpose.

It not any body or any group whom we get to open up straight to for these, but because we saw the aims and objectives towards this is right for us to do so then we did.

We really value our culture and for that matter we don't play with it, so if you have gotten the opportunity to document it then we expect good things to come out of what you did.

We are very proud one more time again that people are now on our culture to learn or document it, and today has been a day for new method of uplifting our kingdom in Denkyira.

We have fall into the pitch for too long, so we want progress come to this kingdom through this documentary going out there.

We also hope that your involvement and effort to this documentary will serve as a model to others in your country to come and learn and support builds this kingdom.

Hope also that after this documentary that will not be the end of our relationship, and belief also that it will serve as friendship gate to this kingdom and Taiwan.

[edit] E.Problems & Solving ways

P1:Since it’s the first time for us to do the documentation of artifacts, we can’t do it very professionally. The quality of environment and pictures should be improved.

A1:Provide our achievement to researchers in Taiwan. We could write a proposal to National Science Council for next year to get more professional training of digital archive and documentary skills, if anyone is interested about it. If we can cooperate with local people in Denkyira kingdom and continue move this project forward, the next year team could teach them how to do the documentation rather than do it on their own。

P2:Since this is the first step for Denkyira kingdom to do the documentation of artifacts, there is only 12 artifacts’ information we have now. There are more artifacts and pictures that need to be archived.

A2:If we can cooperate with local people in Denkyira kingdom, they can do the documentation any time, any place they want. Just as important is that these artifacts belong to their kingdom. They must know more information about these artifacts then us. f.Future work More than just do the digital archive of these artifacts, we hope the people in the whole world can see it too. We will post this information to Wikipedia and Mediawiki, and we wish that we can help Denkyira kingdom’s story be heard more.

P3:We did not have enough time to do the documentation of the new chief installation ceremony this time. Although we have a lot of video and photos, we didn’t do any research in Jukwa to make the documentation complete.

A3-1:We can do this job with the next year's team and let them finish it in 2010. They will have all the information we don’t have this year, if they know what questions they should ask, by understanding the gaps in our work this year.

A3-2:We can cooperate with local people in Denkyira kingdom. Since we left all the clips in Ghana, they can do the documentation any time. It is best that they get involved in the documentation process if it is important, particularly since they know more information and details about these ceremonies than us.

[edit] TWO WORLDS, ONE FAMILY!!