African Studies
Prof. A. Mensah
Professor · Director, Centre for Indigenous Knowledge Systems
Biography
Prof. Mensah leads Southshore's flagship programme on indigenous knowledge systems, weaving together oral history, ecology and contemporary policy. He has spent three decades documenting coastal Ga and Ewe traditions and translating them into curricula used across West African universities.
- Appointed
- 2004
- Office hours
- Tue & Thu, 14:00–16:00
- Department
- Department of African Studies
- Pronouns
- he/him
- Years teaching
- 28
- Languages
- English, Twi, Ga, Ewe
Teaching philosophy
I treat the classroom as a site of dialogue between elders, archives and students — rigour grows from listening.
Research interests
- Indigenous epistemologies
- Oral history methodology
- Coastal heritage policy
Qualifications
- PhD African Studies, University of Ghana
- MPhil History, SOAS London
- BA Hons, University of Cape Coast
Courses taught
- AFS 401: Indigenous Knowledge Systems
- AFS 312: Oral History Methods
- AFS 520: Heritage & Policy
Selected publications
- Tides of Memory: Coastal Ga Oral Traditions (2021)
- Indigenous Curricula for West Africa (2018)
- Voices of the Volta Estuary (2014)
Grants & funded projects
- Volta Estuary Heritage Project — Ford Foundation (2020–2024)
- Indigenous Curricula Network — DAAD (2017–2020)
Awards & honours
- Ghana Academy of Arts & Sciences Fellow (2019)
- President's Research Medal (2016)
Supervision
- 3 PhD candidates in oral history
- 2 MPhil candidates in heritage policy
Media & talks
- BBC Africa interview (2022)
- Keynote, Pan-African Heritage Summit (2021)
Academic profiles
- ORCID: 0000-0001-2345-6789
- Google Scholar: View profile
- Personal website: https://southshore.edu.gh/people/a-mensah
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/a-mensah
- Twitter / X: @profmensah
- CV: Download PDF
Contact
- Email: a.mensah@southshore.edu.gh
- Phone: +233 30 123 4501
- Office: Block A, Room 214 · Indigenous Knowledge Centre