Professor Emerita of Social History at The University of the West Indies (UWI), Professor Verene Shepherd, is encouraging stronger academic partnerships between Jamaica and Ghana, arguing that expanded collaboration among universities and research institutions will help deepen the long-standing relationship between both countries.
Speaking with JIS News during President of the Republic of Ghana, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama’s tour of the Seville Great House and the handover of African houses at Seville Heritage Park, in St. Ann, on August 4, Professor Shepherd said there is significant scope to build on existing educational exchanges.
“I think it’s already happening. For example, there are history conferences that have been organised in Ghana. We have had scholars going there. We have had academics taking on fellowships there. We have Ghanaian students in our own universities. I think we just need to strengthen that,” she said.
Professor Shepherd emphasised the need for increased funding to support scholarships and student mobility programmes.
“We have to facilitate funding for our young people, and we have to try to encourage and establish greater travel links – make it easier for them to be able to do so,” she added.
Meanwhile, President of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) and African Communities League (ACL), Jamaica Division, Steven Golding, said educational exchanges should form part of broader efforts to strengthen Jamaica-Ghana relations.
“We need to also think about educational exchanges,” he said, noting that greater collaboration between institutions in both countries would help strengthen cultural understanding and historical awareness.
Mr. Golding also underscored the importance of ensuring that Jamaicans have a greater appreciation of the shared history between the two countries.
“Not many Jamaicans know the true history behind John Canoe. We treat John Canoe as a Christmas carnival masquerading, when the truth is the story of John Connie… We hold those stories to be there. We recognise that Ghana and Jamaica are one people, are blood brothers,” he said.
Professor Shepherd emphasised that strengthening knowledge of Africa among young Jamaicans will be essential to sustaining future partnerships.
“If we don’t teach about Africa in our schools, we’re not going to develop that interest in our young people about Africa and that curiosity about Africa, so that when opportunities come up, they’ll want to go,” she said.
She further underscored the importance of challenging outdated colonial narratives about the African continent.
“The way the colonisers taught us and their early writings was of barbaric, backward people. If we don’t change that narrative, we’re not going to have the kind of interaction that we need, and that is important,” Professor Shepherd said.
