Distinguished Ghanaian writer and art historian, Nana Ofosuaa Oforiatta Ayim, has been appointed by the University of Oxford to the Advisory Council of the University’s Cultural Programme.

It is unprecedented to have a young African woman determining the paths of future leaders who pass through this most prestigious of world universities, and this shows clearly that the time has come for us to have a seat at the global table.

In her appointment letter, the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Professor Louise Richardson, said: “Your expertise in helping to shape the agenda for this exciting programme would be invaluable and I would be delighted if you could join the Advisory Council as a formal member.”

The role of the Advisory Council will be to advise, guide and inform, and to bring external perspectives from across the spectrum of culture. Similarly, the Advisory Council will ensure that the Cultural Programme has sustained significant impact, and will connect with wider arts and cultural developments in the international sphere. Members are appointed for three years in the first instance and may be appointed for a successive term.

Nana Ofosuaa Oforiatta Ayim, who is the founder and director of ANO, an Accra-based “Institute of Arts & Knowledge”, which, since 2002, has presented cultural and educational programmes across many parts of Ghana, Africa, and the world as a whole, to connect African cultures with development.

In her bid to expose the African arts and culture to the world, Oforiatta Ayim has introduced many initiatives, including the Mobile Museum Project and The Cultural Encyclopaedia, a Pan-African archive initiative devoted to past, present and future cultures from around the African continent.

With her organisation, the ANO Institute of Arts and Knowledge in Osu, as well as with her work as a writer, filmmaker, historian, artist, and organizer, she has grand ambitions for writing and rewriting narratives of the African continent and Diaspora.