Prof. Kofi Asare Opoku, Vice-President, Institutional Advancement at the African University College of Communications (AUCC) has stated that the system of schooling in Africa has greatly contributed in making Africans ignorant about their own culture. According to Prof. Asare Opoku “Our schooling makes us ignorant because we learn more about other people’s way of life”. He made these remarks when he presented a lecture on non- verbal communication in Akan society at the Discovery House Campus of AUCC on 16th April 2009.

Prof. Opoku enlightened his audience of the various types of non-verbal communication among the Akans (a major ethnic group in Ghana, West Africa). These non- verbal means of communication ranged from the use of drumming and dancing, singing of songs to the use visual communications in Akan society.

He stated that non-verbal communication in traditional Akan society played a huge role in educating individuals on the social code of conduct, principles and spiritual beliefs. He also remarked that the difference between mere schooling and education was that education helped to bring about solution to problems whilst mere schooling made individuals in-ward looking. According to Prof. Asare Opoku, most recipients of academic certificates focus mainly on how to use their certificates to get good jobs, more money or more power and not on to how to help solve the myriad problems plaguing their communities.

In reaction to remarks from his audience about the lack of new forms of non-verbal communication among the various ethnic groups in Ghana, Prof. Asare Opoku stated that this was due to the fact that most Africans had been mis-educated by colonialists to believe that their own cultural art forms and social institutions were fetish and evil. Hence a lot of Ghanaians looked down upon their own cultural expressions, folkways and mores. He suggested that Ghanaian youth should be vigorously educated on the country’s rich cultural heritage in order to spearhead a revival of the creative spirit that is needed to generate new forms of non-verbal communication within the Ghanaian society.

Prof. Asare Opoku concluded his lecture by stating that the use of non-verbal forms of communication was essential to Ghana’s development since it could help improve self-awareness, bring about national identity and help to distinguish Ghana from the rest of the world.