Dikan Ahenfie will convene leading archivists, curators, and cultural custodians on Friday, May 15, 2026, for a high-level panel discussion titled “Preserving Ghana: The Living Archives of a Nation.” The event forms part of the ongoing exhibition Preserving Ghana: The Living Archives of a Nation and seeks to examine how Ghana’s collective memory is preserved, interpreted, and protected across generations.
Scheduled for 6:00 p.m., the discussion positions the archive not as a static repository of historical records, but as a living and evolving system deeply connected to national identity, public memory, and institutional power.
Organisers say the event expands the exhibition’s central premise by bringing together voices from four critical spheres of archival preservation: family memory, institutional records, digital archiving, and curatorial practice. The panel will explore how these systems interact, compete, and shape what becomes part of Ghana’s historical narrative.
“This conversation is not simply about preserving documents,” organisers noted in a statement. “It is about understanding how a nation actively holds itself in memory.”
The forum is expected to address the vulnerabilities of archival systems, including questions of access, erasure, structural neglect, and the politics of visibility.
Among the key issues to be explored are who controls Ghana’s historical memory, what aspects of national heritage remain at risk of disappearing, and how institutions can develop stronger and more sovereign archival systems for the future.
The panel will feature:
- Paul Ninson, Curator and Executive Director of the Dikan Center
- Judith Opoku-Boateng, Head of the University of Ghana Archives
- Kofi Nana Oduro Iddrisu, Founder of Archive Africa
The discussion will be moderated by Elizabeth Johnson of Goethe-Institut Accra.
Organisers say the format will prioritise dialogue and public participation rather than formal presentations, encouraging attendees to contribute personal and community perspectives on memory preservation.
Admission details and further programming information can be found on Dikan's official channels.