Research Portal
Learn & Research
A collaborative research platform for the study of Fante history, coastal archaeology, maritime sovereignty, and the living heritage of Anomansa.
Comics & illustrated histories
History, Drawn
Elmina's history told in pictures, for readers of any age. Open a cover and turn the pages, or take the file away with you.
Tap or drag the page edge to turn · double-tap or pinch to zoom · tap the middle for the artwork alone
Nana Kobina Gyan I: The King Who Would Not Bow
Public History · 2026
Research Publications
The Archive of Knowledge
Research papers, primary sources and field studies from Museum Elmina and its partners. Some are free to read and download; others can be previewed, with the full paper available from the museum on request.
The props propelleth the performance: Prop elements in the celebration of Edina Bakatue festival
The Edina Bakatue festival is one of the traditional festivals celebrated in Ghana by the people of Elmina in the Central Region. The celebration of this festival serves as an avenue for showcasing the rich cultural heritage of the people. For this celebration, props feature prominently. Although there is a plethora of studies on festivals in Ghana, there is a dearth of research on the significance of prop elements in traditional Ghanaian festivals.
How to cite
Daniel Kofi Brako, Albert Dennis. “The props propelleth the performance: Prop elements in the celebration of Edina Bakatue festival.” Field Research. Department of Theatre and Film Studies, University of Cape Coast. https://museumelmina.com/learn/#the-props-propelleth-the-performance-prop-elements-in-the-celebration-of-edina-bakatue-festival
Apatampa: A Performance Based Ethnographic and Visual Anthropology Perspective
This study examines the rhythmic and performative dimensions of Apatampa within the living traditions of the Fante people, applying a dual framework of visual anthropology and ethnographic fieldwork. Drawing on first-hand community recordings and archival analysis, it traces the moral and social functions embedded within the dance, song, and instrumental traditions of Anomansa.
How to cite
Museum Elmina Research Division. 2026. “Apatampa: A Performance Based Ethnographic and Visual Anthropology Perspective.” Primary Research Document. Museum Elmina. https://museumelmina.com/learn/#apatampa-visual-anthropology
Divided we stand: institutional collaboration in tourism planning and development in the Central Region of Ghana.
This research is an exploratory study that examines collaboration at the institutional level in the tourism sector of the Central Region, Ghana. The research begins with a review of the key issues related to collaboration in tourism planning and development followed by an extensive exploration of three main issues related to institutional collaboration in tourism in the Central Region.
How to cite
Adu-Ampong, E. A. (2017). Divided we stand: institutional collaboration in tourism planning and development in the Central Region of Ghana. Current Issues in Tourism, 20(3), 295–314. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2014.915795
Published elsewhere. Cite the publisher's record, not this page.
2014 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
Governing tourism-led local economic development planning: An interactive tourism governance perspective on the Elmina 2015 Strategy in Ghana
Tourism is expanding in many developing countries, in contexts where states struggle to effectively manage local economic development processes. This thesis aims to bridge a gap between the literature on the tourism-poverty nexus and scholarship pertaining to the politics and governance of local development planning, by examining how governing interactions shape the planning and use of tourism for local economic development and poverty reduction.
How to cite
Emmanuel Akwasi Adu-Ampong. 2016. “Governing tourism-led local economic development planning: An interactive tourism governance perspective on the Elmina 2015 Strategy in Ghana.” PhD Thesis. University of Sheffield. https://doi.org/uk.bl.ethos.707108
Commemoration and commodification: slavery heritage, Black travel and the #YearofReturn2019 in Ghana
In marking 400years since the first enslaved africans arrived to Jamestown, United states in 1619, the Ghana government through the Ghana tourism authority initiated the Year of Return 2019 (#YOR2019). the goal was to unite africans in the diaspora with those on the continent, especially in Ghana, through a year-long calendar of commercial and commemorative slavery heritage tour- ism activities ranging from visits to slavery sites, healing ceremonies, theatre and musical performances, festivals, investment forums and relocation conferences.
How to cite
Adu-Ampong, E. A., & Dillette, A. (2024). Commemoration and commodification: slavery heritage, Black travel and the #YearofReturn2019 in Ghana. Tourism Geographies, 26(1), 120–139. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2023.2275731
Published elsewhere. Cite the publisher's record, not this page.
© The authors. Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group, under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence.
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Institutional Collaborators
Research Partners
Museum Elmina operates as a collaborative research environment. Academic institutions, doctoral programmes, and diplomatic partners contribute to the archive and field research programme.
Academic Research Partner
Frictions of Space
Cultural Geography · Wageningen University & Research
The public face in Ghana of FRICTIONS, a European Research Council project running from 2025 to 2030 that studies what happens when sites of slavery and colonial history become places of tourism. Its fieldwork follows three routes, among them Ghana, Suriname and the Netherlands, which places Elmina at the centre of the enquiry.
● Active Partnership
Creative & Curatorial Practice Partner
Museum of Black Futures
Netherlands
A traveling laboratory reactivating contested heritage through performance and public ritual. As a creative partner, it co-curates Museum Elmina’s residency framework, connecting global creators to the local landscape for future-forward storytelling.
● Active Partnership
Academic Research Partner
A. G. Leventis Digital Resource Centre
Department of Archaeology & Heritage Studies · University of Ghana
Established in 2008 with A. G. Leventis Foundation funding, the Centre develops a digital repository of Ghana’s cultural heritage: 3D documentation of artefacts and architecture, ethnographic film, and digitisation of indigenous vernacular songs.
● Active Partnership
Institutional Support Partner
Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ghana
Institutional support for archival digitisation, colonial record cross-referencing, and the preservation of shared Dutch-Ghanaian historical memory.
● Supporting PartnershipResearch Collaboration
Partner With the Archive
Museum Elmina welcomes collaboration from university departments, independent researchers and community historians. Partners can contribute research, share findings and publish with the museum.