Gertrude Aba Eyifa-Dzidzienyo

Biography

Aba is a Lecturer at the University of Ghana (UG), Legon in the Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies. She teaches museum studies at both undergraduate and graduate level. She received her PhD in Archaeology in December 2016. Her PhD research was on Archaeology and Heritage Management Practices in Ghana: Assessment of Tengzug Heritage Preservation and Development.

Since 2009, Aba has been the Curator of the Museum of Archaeology situated in the Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies, Legon. She works with a museum team in mounting exhibitions and curating collections. Aba receives and attends to museum visitors, especially school children, providing them with an orientation before their guided tour of the museum. The most recent exhibition she and her team mounted in October 2017 was on the Life and Works of the Late Professor James Anquandah, the pioneer and first Ghanaian Archaeologist.

In November 2017, Aba was appointed a member of the board of Ghana Museums and Monuments Board. Aba’s vision is to see the establishment of more museums in her country and also for museum education to become an integral part of formal and informal education in Ghana.

In May 2018 Aba was made Interim Acting Executive Director for the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board (GMMB). GMMB is the national institution responsible for all regional museums and monuments in Ghana. Her mandate was to restructure the institution and make it visible and viable. This role came to an end in October 2018 and Aba remains a member of the board of directors of Ghana National Museum.

At the British Museum
During her time on the International Training Programme in 2009, Aba was based in the Department of Africa, Oceania and the Americas and her partner placement was spent at Manchester Museum, Manchester Art Gallery and Whitworth Art Gallery.

An element of the programme was a morning of presentations, in which groups of participants presented a 10-minute illustrated talk, prompted by the task to consider a new display of the fellows’ cultures at the British Museum.  Aba’s exhibition project proposal, with colleague Joyce Dartey, was entitled Beads speak – Beads from Ghana.

Aba’s participation on the International Training Programme was generously supported by Allen & Co.

Legacy Projects
In March 2010 Aba attended the Cairo Conference Towards a global network where she presented a paper entitled Outcomes of my participation in the BM ITP.

In December 2017 Aba returned to the British Museum to attend the ITP+ Course Photography & documentation with fellows from China, Egypt, Malaysia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania and Zimbabwe and different ITP years.

ITP Newsletter Publications
ITP Newsletter Issue 5 (2018), Global perspectives: Teaching the next generation of museum workers: perspectives from Ghana