ANO CULTURAL LEADERSHIP FELLOWSHIP
THE CULTURAL LEADERSHIP FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMME IS A PAID ONE-YEAR APPOINTMENT, AND IT PROVIDES THE OPPORTUNITY FOR VISIONARY ARTS LEADERS TO GAIN PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE, TO BE MENTORED BY RENOWNED CREATIVE LEADERS IN THEIR RESPECTIVE FIELDS, AS WELL AS TO TAKE PART IN A SERIES OF WORKSHOPS AND PLACEMENTS AT INSTITUTIONS INTERNATIONALLY. THROUGH THIS PROGRAMME WE HOPE TO CONTINUE OUR QUEST TO UNCOVER AND CREATE NEW CULTURAL NARRATIVES OF THE AFRICAN CONTINENT; CONNECTING AND SUPPORTING DEVELOPMENT THROUGH CULTURE.
In order to support the creation of an ecosystem that can support the leadership and sustainability of existing institutions, as well as the creation of new cultural institutions, ANO has created the Cultural Leadership Fellowship, in the areas of curation, research and communications.
The fellows work on providing leadership on our current projects, notably the Cultural Encyclopaedia and Mobile Museums Projects, which work on uncovering historical narratives, archives, and ontologies in countries across the continent and connecting them with contemporary ones; as well as taking part in workshops with our partner institutions; and being connected with mentors of local and international standing.
They are then assigned and attached to institutions in their countries in leadership roles, as well as working with artists and within teams to complete projects that advance the narrative, discourse and development agenda within each country.
Our objective is to create a sustainable ecosystem in the cultural sphere across the continent that provides leadership, dignity and accountability for the cultural sector and for development. If we succeed, culture will provide one of the solutions and avenues of development in Africa.
Angela Okorie is currently the 2019 ANO Cultural Leadership Curatorial Fellow, which will involve the curation and exhibition of objects, audio/visual recordings, texts, clothing, and photographs that are of cultural value to the communities in 16 regions in Ghana for the Mobile Museum, along with discussions with the stakeholders, NGOs and contemporary artists who will inform and spearhead agency and sustainable development across these regions. She is interested in experiences which can ...
Benedicta Emefa Gokah is ANO’s Research Fellow. She is currently on a training programme at the British Museum as part of her ANO Cultural Leadership Fellowship. She attended Presec Staff School and Ghana International School, and then Ashesi University where she majored in Management Information Systems (MIS), a blend between Computer Science and Business Administration. She has worked in Ghana mostly in the capacity of a Design Thinker where she has creatively found ...
Désiré Kevin Eli-Zafoe is the Communications Fellow at ANO. He is also the Creative Director and Founder of Good Thoughts Co., a creative studio aimed at providing marketing and design solutions, creating content that will serve as design inspiration for generations to come. A graphic designer at heart, with tech and business background, he has worked on various branding and social media communication projects for startups and artists. Désiré also worked as an analyst in the...
Oluwatosin Alliyu is a researcher with ANO, and is supporting the development of impactful and sustainable outputs for community members of each region. She is mainly tackling the idea of how to go beyond engaging discussions that raise awareness and increase cultural knowledge through the implementation of long-lasting unique solutions for the different communities. Focusing on curating collaborative activities and workshops that incorporate all stakeholders from community members, NGO's ...
Yaa Addae is part of the research team at ANO, working on the Cultural Encyclopaedia project and the Mobile Pavilion, which she also worked on as part of ANO’s tour of Ghana in 2018. She is a recent graduate of Tufts University, where she studied Comparative Curatorial Approaches and Exhibition Architecture. A writer and curator, Yaa is invested in narratives of Black femme performance and understands art as a space for community, healing, and regeneration.
Michael Gyimah is working as a researcher with ANO. He traveled on the ANO tour of Ghana in 2018, as well as working on the Ghana Freedom film. He is passionate about community building, cultural exchange, and filmmaking. He is a writer, web designer and co-owner of Groovers Gh, a traveling agency that focuses on cultural exchange, and he loves to farm.
Simms Ekow Ben-Smith is working alongside Désiré on communications and marketing. He is a third year student, doing a Bachelors in Business Administration in Marketing at Dominion University College in Accra, Ghana. Having worked at ANO as an intern on the Cultural Encyclopaedia project in the summer of 2017, Ekow is excited that all these years of work by ANO is coming together in a way that feels cohesive and extraordinary