Projects

“Rhythms of Peace” is an interdisciplinary documentary project that examines the emergence

and practice of indigenous female master drummers in Ghana as they perform, peacebuilding,

inclusivity and strong institutions, situating their work within broader conversations on

gender, cultural authority and intangible heritage. Historically, indigenous drumming in many

Ghanaian traditions has been gender-restrictive with women largely excluded from roles of

rhythmic leadership, drummers and ceremonial performance. Through ethnographic

engagement, performance documentation and narrative inquiry, the documentary (re)presents

the lived experiences of these women as cultural agents by exploring how their musical

practices intersect with questions of identity, spirituality, inclusivity, peacebuilding and

community belonging while also engaging with wider discourses on sustainability, heritage

transmission and social change. “Rhythms of Peace” reveals unheard stories of indigenous

female master drummers in Ghana, women who challenge deeply rooted gender norms

through rhythm, resilience and cultural authority. Moving between intimate personal

narratives and vibrant performance spaces, the documentary reveals how these drummers

negotiate tradition, spirituality and social change, transforming drums once considered

forbidden into instruments of voice and visibility. As their rhythms echo across communities,

they do more than perform—they reshape cultural memory, assert agency and craft new

pathways for peace, identity and gender inclusion within the indigenous musical heritage of

Ghana.

PerPos’s flagship project, Sustaining Musical Cultures in Ghana’s Coastal Communities, uses the power of traditional music to amplify the voices of small-scale fishers and preserve indigenous knowledge systems along Ghana’s coastline.

At the heart of the project is the 45-minute documentary Cocooned in Harmony: Power, Agency and Multiple Realities in the Songs of Indigenous Ghanaian Seine Fisherfolk. The film explores how the songs of artisanal fisherfolk serve far more than rhythmic accompaniment to their work. Through three thematic sections—what the music does, what the music is, and what the music says—the documentary reveals how these songs express identity, power relations, gender dynamics, emotional connections to the ocean, and concerns about overfishing and environmental change. The film was created using participatory methods, with fishers actively shaping its content, and has been screened on national television in Ghana, at international festivals, and is available on YouTube.

Building on the documentary’s success, PerPos has facilitated workshops where fishers co-create new songs addressing contemporary challenges such as climate change, ocean pollution, and sand winning. One such collaboration produced Nyansapo (Wisdom Knot), a collection of 43 original songs now being sung in coastal communities. A follow-up documentary, Cocooned 2.0, is currently in production.

By blending cultural preservation with advocacy, the project strengthens community–university relationships and brings local perspectives into national and global conversations on ocean governance.

Performing Positivity Through Creative Designing with Waste is another flagship PerPos project that reimagines theatre set design in Ghana by transforming plastic and other waste materials into sustainable performance spaces. The project challenges the heavy reliance on wood in Ghanaian theatre, which contributes to deforestation, by pioneering “designing with waste” as both an artistic and environmental practice.

At its core is a participatory, bottom-up design process in which waste materials—plastic bottles, sachet rubbers, waste paper, and sawdust—become the creative starting point rather than an afterthought. The project’s landmark case study is the 2021 open-air production of Efua Sutherland’s The Marriage of Anansewa at the University of Cape Coast. Drawing on Ghana’s indigenous storytelling tradition (Anansegoro), the set was constructed entirely from recycled waste in a natural, moonlit setting that encouraged audience participation and blurred the line between performers and spectators.

By merging environmental sustainability with cultural preservation, the project demonstrates how the performing arts can address pressing ecological challenges while reviving and adapting Ghana’s rich performance heritage. It positions culture not only as something to be sustained, but as a powerful tool for advancing sustainable development.

Performing Positivity with Disability is PerPos’s flagship initiative dedicated to using the performing and creative arts as powerful tools for inclusion. The programme works to dismantle the social, economic, and cultural barriers that Persons with Disabilities face across all spheres of life — from education and employment to community participation and public representation.

Through participatory theatre, music, visual arts, and digital creativity, the initiative creates safe spaces where Persons with Disabilities can express their stories, develop professional skills, and actively shape cultural narratives. By placing disability at the centre of artistic practice, the programme challenges stigma, promotes accessibility, and demonstrates how culture can drive meaningful social change.

I-Creat-Ghana, our upcoming project, forms a core part of this initiative. It tests an integrated model that combines adaptive creative and digital skills training, psychosocial support, an accessible freelance platform, and inclusive finance to open pathways to decent work in Ghana’s creative economy.

In every activity, Performing Positivity with Disability affirms that disability is not a limitation to creativity, but a source of unique perspective, resilience, and artistic innovation.