The Pro Vice Chancellor of Takoradi Technical University, Prof. Victor Kweku Bondzie Micah, a professor of art, has given an insightful inaugural lecture under the theme “Echoes of Wisdom: Pragmatics of Akan Proverbial Art to the Cultural Sustainability of Akan Proverbial Culture,”.
The lecture which marks the 3rd inaugural lecture for Takoradi Technical University, explored how art rooted in traditional proverbs serves as both a tool for communication and a vehicle for preserving cultural identity The event was chaired by the Vice-Chancellor of TTU, Rev. Prof. John Frank Eshun, and drew a remarkable audience that included the Registrar, Dr. Moses Maclean Abnory; the Director of Finance, Dr. Gabriel Sam Ahinful; Acting Librarian, Paapa Kwamena Fynn; Evangelist Prof. Emmanuel Joseph Turkson; and Rev. Abaidoo, who represented the Lord Bishop, Dr. Dogbey, of the A.M.E. Zion Church, Western West Africa Region.
Also present were members of Management, Deans and Directors, Convocation, Alumni, retired staff, the Clergy, students, and family members of Prof. Micah.
In his delivery, Prof. Micah painted a vivid narrative of his early years growing up in a communal family home in Winneba, under the stern yet wise influence of Ebusuapayin Kweku Kakraba, the family head. “I remember how he would speak in phrases so rich and layered that even in his anger, you needed wisdom to understand him,” he recalled. “Those statements were like riddles; deep, poetic, and only decipherable through lived experience.”
Prof. Micah highlighted some of the proverbs his works seek to both project and preserve, including: “Abofra nnsu a, wɔmma no enufo,” “Ɔbaa nyinsɛn na w’anwo besia a, ɔwo banyin,” “Bayifo ba wu a, ɔyɛ no yaw,” among others.
He reflected on how those enigmatic phrases, coupled with biblical parables taught in Sunday school, sparked a lifelong curiosity that led him to explore how proverbs function not only in speech but in visual and artistic forms.
Prof. Micah emphasized that Akan proverbs are not mere adornments of language but powerful tools of communication, cultural education, and conflict resolution. Drawing on renowned scholars such as Kwesi Yankah and Kofi Agyekum, he unpacked the pragmatic roles these sayings play, whether to advise, critique, persuade, or preserve social harmony.
“In today’s fast-paced and globalised world,” he cautioned, “the transmission of these proverbial wisdoms is under threat. What was natural in our family compound is fast fading in the urban household.” It is in this gap, he argued, that proverbial art becomes not only a medium of expression but a mechanism for cultural sustainability.
Referencing Akan sayings like “Ofie mbɔsabo, ɔtwa wo a, ɔtse dɛ sradɛ” (the gravel in your own house cuts like a saw), Prof. Micah showed how visual art inspired by proverbs allows modern audiences to engage with deep cultural truths in ways that are both accessible and enduring.
He concluded with a call to action: “Wisdom is not money to be locked away,” he said, quoting the Akan proverb “Nyansa nyɛ sika na wɔakyekyere asie.” “It must be shared, lived, and passed on.”
As applause filled the auditorium, it became clear that Prof. Micah had not only delivered an academic lecture but a cultural invocation, a stirring reminder of the transformative power of indigenous knowledge systems and the vital role of art in their preservation.
