IRCI Article ID: IRCI-AR-0000001850

Postcolonial Digital Learning in Ghanaian Art Education: Between Technology, Memory, and Cultural Survival

Authors:

Daitey William William, Daitey

Journal: International Journal of Education and Digital Learning (IJEDL)

Publication: 2025-10-31 · Vol. 4 No. 1 · pp. 19–27

DOI: 10.47353/ijedl.v4i1.349

Cite this article

Citation

Choose a citation style or copy BibTeX for your reference manager.

Style

View Original Publication

Abstract

This study examines the intersection of digital learning, postcolonial identity, and cultural survival within Ghanaian art education in the contemporary technological era. The rapid expansion of digital technologies and artificial intelligence has significantly transformed educational systems worldwide, including in Ghana. However, the integration of digital learning into African educational contexts raises important concerns regarding epistemic coloniality, indigenous knowledge marginalization, and the preservation of cultural memory. This article aims to critically analyze how digital learning simultaneously functions as a mechanism of educational modernization and a site of cultural negotiation within postcolonial societies. The study employs a qualitative conceptual approach grounded in postcolonial theory, decolonial epistemology, cultural memory studies, and indigenous knowledge frameworks. Rather than relying on quantitative data, the research utilizes critical interpretive analysis of scholarly literature related to digital pedagogy, African art education, artificial intelligence, and cultural preservation. The analysis focuses on the relationship between technology, memory, representation, and indigenous artistic traditions within Ghanaian educational transformation. The findings indicate that contemporary digital learning systems often reproduce Western epistemological dominance through standardized technological infrastructures, algorithmic representation, and culturally selective educational content. Indigenous Ghanaian artistic traditions—including oral storytelling, Adinkra symbolism, ritual performance, and communal artistic learning—frequently remain underrepresented within digital educational environments. Nevertheless, the study also reveals that digital technologies possess significant potential for preserving cultural heritage, expanding indigenous visibility, and developing innovative pedagogical practices when implemented through culturally responsive and decolonial frameworks. The article concludes that the future of Ghanaian art education depends on reconstructing digital learning models grounded in epistemic plurality, indigenous aesthetics, and cultural sovereignty. Digital learning should not merely serve technological modernization but also function as a medium for sustaining collective memory, artistic identity, and postcolonial cultural resilience. This study contributes to contemporary discussions concerning decolonial education, digital pedagogy, and the ethical implications of artificial intelligence within indigenous educational contexts.

0
IRCI Cited By

71
Indexed References

Authors

Daitey William

Affiliation: , AsanSka University College of Design and Technology, Ghana Author Origin : Ghana

ORCID: 0009-0000-1011-8828

William, Daitey

References

Appadurai, A. (2023). The future as cultural fact: Essays on the global condition (Updated ed.). Verso.

Arora, P. (2025). Creative data justice: A decolonial and indigenous critique of AI-enabled creativity. Information, Communication & Society, 28(4), 611–628.

Banks, J. A. (2022). Diversity and citizenship education in multicultural societies (3rd ed.). Routledge.

Bonsu, F. M., Wragg, N., Phillipson, S., & Waller, C. (2025). Ghanaian graphic design education: Redefining Western influences and reclaiming indigenous cultures. International Journal of Art & Design Education, 44(1), 55–72.

Castells, M. (2023). Networks of outrage and hope: Social movements in the digital age (3rd ed.). Polity Press.

Dumbuya, E. (2025). Decolonizing African curricula through AI-enhanced learning in Sub-Saharan Africa. SSRN Electronic Journal.

Freire, P. (2021). Pedagogy of hope: Reliving pedagogy of the oppressed (30th anniversary ed.). Bloomsbury Academic.

Giroux, H. A. (2023). Pedagogy and the politics of hope in the age of digital capitalism. Bloomsbury Publishing.

Gyamerah, K. (2025). Centering Indigenous Ghanaian knowledge in education reform. Educational Considerations, 51(2), 1–18.

Hall, S. (2021). Essential essays, volume 2: Identity and diaspora. Duke University Press.

hooks, b. (2022). Teaching critical thinking: Practical wisdom. Routledge.

Latif, E., Nyaaba, M., & Choi, G. L. (2024). Artificial intelligence and pedagogical transformation in global education. Computers & Education: Artificial Intelligence, 6, 100214.

Lewis, J. E. (2025). Indigenous perspectives and ethical AI futures. AI & Society, 40(2), 455–470.

Martinez-Maldonado, R., Echeverria, V., Hawes, J., Kim, Y. J., Maddigan, Z., Milesi, M., Nelson, T., & Tsai, Y.-S. (2026). Relational AI in education: Reciprocity, participatory design, and Indigenous worldviews. arXiv Preprint.

Mbembe, A. (2021). Out of the dark night: Essays on decolonization. Columbia University Press.

Mignolo, W. D. (2021). The politics of decolonial investigations. Duke University Press.

Mohamed, S., Png, M.-T., & Isaac, W. (2020). Decolonial AI: Decolonial theory as sociotechnical foresight in artificial intelligence. Philosophy & Technology, 33(4), 659–684.

Mohammed, A. (2021). Digital transformation in African education: Challenges and opportunities. African Educational Review, 18(3), 44–59.

Ndlovu-Gatsheni, S. J. (2021). The dynamics of epistemological decolonisation in the 21st century. Berghahn Books.

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o. (2022). Decolonising the mind: The politics of language in African literature (New ed.). James Currey.

Nyaaba, M., Wright, A., & Choi, G. L. (2024). Generative AI and digital neocolonialism in global education: Towards an equitable framework. arXiv Preprint.

Okeke-Agulu, C. (2024). African art and postcolonial aesthetics in the digital age. Duke University Press.

Prempeh, C. (2022). Polishing the pearls of indigenous knowledge for inclusive social education in Ghana. Heliyon, 8(1), e08777.

Quijano, A. (2023). Coloniality and modernity in contemporary global knowledge systems. Cultural Studies, 37(5), 701–719.

Said, E. W. (2021). Orientalism (50th anniversary ed.). Penguin Random House.

Smith, L. T. (2021). Decolonizing methodologies: Research and Indigenous peoples (3rd ed.). Zed Books.

UNESCO. (2023). Global education monitoring report 2023: Technology in education. UNESCO Publishing.

Wiredu, K. (2022). African philosophy and cultural identity in contemporary society. Indiana University Press.

Yeboah, A. K. (2023). Indigenous knowledge and art education in Ghanaian schools. International Journal of African Cultural Studies, 15(2), 88–103.

Zembylas, M. (2023). Critical pedagogy in the age of artificial intelligence and digital capitalism. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 55(11), 1245–1258.

Zuboff, S. (2022). The age of surveillance capitalism and the future of human freedom. PublicAffairs.

Freire, P. (2021). Pedagogy of hope: Reliving pedagogy of the oppressed (30th anniversary ed.). Bloomsbury Academic. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5040/9781350190238

Hall, S. (2021). Essential essays, volume 2: Identity and diaspora. Duke University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/9781478002710

Latif, E., Nyaaba, M., & Choi, G. L. (2024). Artificial intelligence and pedagogical transformation in global education. Computers & Education: Artificial Intelligence, 6, 100214. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2024.100210

Mignolo, W. D. (2021). The politics of decolonial investigations. Duke University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/9781478002574

Mohamed, S., Png, M.-T., & Isaac, W. (2020). Decolonial AI: Decolonial theory as sociotechnical foresight in artificial intelligence. Philosophy & Technology, 33(4), 659–684. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13347-020-00405-8

Ndlovu-Gatsheni, S. J. (2021). The dynamics of epistemological decolonisation in the 21st century. Berghahn Books. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003148302

Okeke-Agulu, C. (2024). African art and postcolonial aesthetics in the digital age. Duke University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1215/10757163-11205487

Prempeh, C. (2022). Polishing the pearls of indigenous knowledge for inclusive social education in Ghana. Heliyon, 8(1), e08777. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2022.100248