Bright Amedekey

HRM MA Student, Catherine D'Andrea
Archaeology

Areas of interest

Archaeology, Ethnography, Cultural Resource Management, Computational Archaeology, Public Archaeology, Tourism and Heritage Tourism

Education

  • BA University of Ghana, Archaeology and Heritage Studies, 2015
  • MA University of Ghana, Archaeology (MPhil), 2018

Introduction

I am an archaeologist and ethnographer who is presently serving as a research assistant at the Museum of Natural and Cultural History, Shai Hills- Ghana. My research focuses in understanding the transformations of cultural landscapes. Also, I am interested in the effects of early cross-cultural interactions in Africa and their effects on society, culture, cultural heritage and economic development on the continent.

Presently the research team at the Museum of Natural and Cultural History and I are working on the following project:

  • Shai Hills Archaeological Research Project (SHARP)
  • Professor Anquandah Archaeological Research Project (PARP)

MA Research

I intend to research the evolving management systems of heritage sites in Ghana. The continuous deterioration of heritage sites through building, construction activities and environmental factors among others leaves a lot to be desired. The protection of Ghana’s heritage sites has been relegated to the background. There is little or no political will to deal with the dangers posed to heritage sites. Huge government projects in the area of construction and building projects are mostly done without cultural impact assessment. One notable site which is under a threat is the Elmina Old town. To address these problems at the Elmina Old Town, there is a need to interrogate all these evolving conservation approaches and political influences with the view of developing alternative approaches for the management of such World Heritage sites.

An eclectic approach would be adopted to undertake this research.

Other Activities

Exploration of protected areas and national parks are areas that are of interest to me. One area which is also of interest which I have not committed much time and attention to is visual anthropology. This is an area of study I would like to focus on in the future because the world is developing at a rapid pace with little or no attention to conservation, development and sustainability of unique features of our environment, heritage materials and sites among others. This phenomenon is very evident in Ghana and most parts of Africa. It is my desire to record key features, buildings, and lifeways through still photographs and video for posterity and for the purposes of study. Touring heritage sites and scenic natural environments is something I enjoy.

Bright and Prof. Perucchio
Krobo Moutain Project
Excavation at Akuse
Test Pit at Abosomase-Aburi, Ghana. In shot are Bright and two colleagues from the Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies, University of Ghana and some onlookers from the community.
Heritage material in the compound of the late queen mother of Vakpo-Wusuta, Volta Region-Ghana
Bright taking pictures of sherds at the Leventis Digital Center, University of Ghana, Legon-Accra.