Dr Akoi-Jackson has called on African cultural and educational institutions to leverage the continent’s shared cultural heritage and promote artistic collaboration to strengthen regional diplomacy and create greater opportunities for artists.
Speaking on the topic “Creative Crossroads: Exploring Art and Cultural Exchange,” he said stronger collaboration among African countries could help artists and students build professional networks, access new markets and gain greater international recognition.
He noted that Ghana, Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso and Côte d’Ivoire share cultural and linguistic connections that could serve as a foundation for deeper artistic exchanges and stronger regional ties.
“What a lot of people can first learn is that we are actually brothers and sisters across the borders, even before our official languages,” he said.
Dr Akoi-Jackson stressed that African institutions must recognise these shared traditions and invest in initiatives that make cross-border travel and collaboration easier for artists and students.
To illustrate the importance of cultural understanding, he recounted an encounter with a Beninese artist in Helsinki, Finland, explaining that their limited knowledge of each other’s languages initially made communication difficult until they found ways to understand one another.
He said the experience demonstrated how cultural understanding and openness could help bridge linguistic barriers and build relationships among African creative practitioners.
Dr Akoi-Jackson also raised concerns about the high cost of regional travel, arguing that movement between neighbouring African countries should be more affordable to encourage artistic collaboration and cultural exchange.
“Many times, it has been said that to travel from Ghana to Togo by air is even more expensive than maybe going from here to Europe. That should not be the case,” he said.
He added that stronger institutional collaboration would help African artists reach audiences beyond their domestic markets, expand professional opportunities and increase the global visibility of African creativity.
“Art proposes diplomacy, or art is an opportunity for diplomacy,” he said, underscoring the potential of artistic collaboration and cultural exchange to strengthen relationships and open up new opportunities across the continent.
By Emmanuel Nii Annan Armah