Abstract:
Akans pride themselves as one of the great custodians of tradition among ethnic groups in
Ghana. However recent trends among the younger generation indicate that there is a gradual
shift from this age old assumption. A critical look at the behaviour of the youth of the Akan
show that they are not in tune with the values of the Akan. Hitherto there were oral traditions
of which one was proverbs that steered the youth in the right direction. In recent times
proverbs have lost its place in the moral foundation of the Akan youth because they barely
know the proverbs. This study aims at making Akan proverbs relevant in the moral education
of contemporary Akan youth via the use of mobile technology named Sankofa Abɛbuo. It
sought to assemble twenty Akan proverbs on mobile application software to make proverbs
readily available to the youth. In doing this, qualitative research instrument such as interviews
and questionnaire were used in data collection. However, the descriptive and thematic
analysis techniques were used for analysis of data obtained from questionnaires and
interviews. The study revealed that proverbs, one of the bedrock of morality, has lost its place
in the lives of the youth and will gradually lose its place among Akans with the passage of
time. The study also noted that traditional institutions of socialization of the youth on the
cultural ideal have given up on their duty, giving way to western values propagated mostly by
formal education, media and technology. The implication of this is a social climate where the
youth are alienated from their culture and live by an adopted culture that is seen by the society
as a deviation from the norm. Therefore, this research recommends that the society should
take advantage of the youth’s affinity to the media, technology and formal education and
channel proverbs to them to reinforce socially accepted behaviour.
Description:
A Dissertation / Thesis in the Department of Art, School of Creative Art, submitted to the school of Graduate Studies, University of Education, Winneba, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for award of Master of Philosophy in Art and Culture Degree.
JULY, 2015