​​​​​​​Ghana National History Day Celebration: The initiative and experience of the Department of History Education (UEW)

History is basically the record of significant past events and activities. According to A. W. Walsh, history is not only about accounts of past actions but also an explanation of why they occurred. Through the ages, men have expressed and exhibited an innate desire to know and comprehend happenings long before their birth. According to the famous dictum of Cicero (106-43 BC): “To be ignorant of what happened before you were born is to be a child forever”.

Despite the innate desire to know about the past, most people despise history or have some misconceptions about the study of history. Many consider it to be about memorisation of dates, personalities and events. But it is far from that. Historical accounts of happenings and activities long before our generation have equipped us with knowledge of how far we have come as a nation. The study of history clarifies this question, “How did we get here?” It enables individuals to know and understand the changes societies have undergone and challenges they have faced over a period of time and how they managed to resolve the challenges they encountered. We have knowledge of how our forebears lived, their migration and various settlements, as well as their formation of various states and kingdoms, the arrival of Europeans in Ghana, the slave trade and slavery, as well as the spread of various religions due to history.

History has also provided us with knowledge of outstanding roles played by some distinguished personalities, as well as some struggles and events of the past. Notable among them include the Bond of 1844, the Aborigines Rights Protection Society, the Christianborg Castle Crossroad Shooting incident, the formation of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) and the Convention People’s Party (CPP), culminating in Ghana’s struggle for and attainment of independence, etc. We also get to know of accounts of technological inventions or evolutions, developments in our economic, political and social space and also other aspects of our lives. It enables us to reflect on past events and guides us to take positive steps towards a better future as we draw inspirations on the achievements and successes of our forebears. There is therefore, no gainsaying the importance of history and history education.

The Ghana National History Day (GNHD) celebration was a concept borrowed from the United States of America. National History Day started in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1974, with the initial thought birthed by members of the Department of History at Case Western Reserve University as a history contest similar to Science Fair. Students later converged on campus to set aside one day for history, calling it “National History Day”. The contest spread all over Ohio and into surrounding Midwestern states over the next few years. It later grew into a national non-profit organisation. The final event is held annually at College Park, in Maryland. Middle and high school students enter the contest by means of submitting a project as individuals or groups in various categories such as performance, documentary, website, paper or exhibit. The National History Day had an overwhelming outcome and effect that compelled the executive director of the American Historical Association, Anita Jones, to write in 2001 that:

Perhaps the greatest impact of National History Day…was on the historical profession itself. I truly believe that never have so many historians enjoyed engaging in the pursuit of history outside their offices, their regular classrooms, and their academic research as have the thousands who have participated in National History Day as teachers, mentors, consultants, and judges over more than two decades.

The importance of history education is not lost on Ghana as a nation. This is because history is part of the curricula and taught as a subject in most high schools and universities in Ghana. However, the idea of instituting the celebration of Ghana National History Day never came to mind. It took the Department of History Education at the University of Education, Winneba (UEW) to initiate and come up with the brilliant idea with regards to the celebration and awareness creation on the importance of history. The goal was to take history beyond its traditional academic confines into the public domain by re-enacting and reinterpreting some past events of the nation. It was also to portray other aspects of history and make it more engaging and interesting by way of performances, exhibits, essays, documentaries, drama, etc. GNHD was initiated under the auspices of the former Head of Department, Dr. Jim Weiler. His successors, Mr. Eric Sakyi Nketiah and Dr. Mrs. Anitha Oforiwah Adu-Boahen, including Lecturers of the Department and Deans of the Faculty (former and present), ensured its sustenance and expansion. The Department organised the first Ghana National History Day celebration in 2015, with UEW students. Subsequent celebrations were expanded to include history departments from other universities such as the University of Cape Coast, the University of Ghana and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, as well as senior high schools within and outside Winneba.

Prior to the celebration, the Department of History Education (UEW) visits various schools to discuss Ghana National History Day with headmasters/headmistresses as well as heads of history departments of universities. The Association of History Students (ASHIS) at the University of Education, Winneba, goes on outreach programmes and organises history clubs in various schools in order to whip up interest in the subject and for the celebration. Students are made to compete for prizes by presenting projects in the form of drama, exhibits, papers, etc. either as individuals or in groups. On the day of the celebration, some high-profile personalities are invited to give keynote speeches. On the maiden edition, the late Mr. Nat Nunoo Amarteifio, a former mayor of Accra and an architect, accepted to deliver the keynote address based on his stated conviction that a lot of the challenges he tackled about the city of Accra were deeply-rooted, requiring an informed historical understanding. Subsequent editions featured Nana Kobina Nketsia V, (the paramount Chief of Essikado Traditional Area); Manu Herbstein (the prizewinning South African author and Winner of Best First Book Commonwealth Writers Prize), among others. Senior High School students and their heads and teachers are also invited for the occasion and do some historical performances. Prizes are awarded to participants of the competition while other items, including books, are given to the schools.

Relevant themes are selected each year and participants are made to select topics of interest related to the theme and research on the topic, develop a research question and a thesis statement. Participants have the option of presenting their research findings in exhibits, original papers, performances, historical documentary and historical website formats. These products are entered into competitions where they are evaluated by professional historians and educators and consequently presented and awarded on the history day occasion that heightens the Ghana National History Day celebration. Some of the themes that have been selected since its inception include: “Taking a stand in history”; “Conflict and compromise in history”; “Triumph and tragedy in history”; “Memorialising the past, reconciling the nation”. The theme selected for this year (2024) was “Debating nationalism and patriotism in Ghana’s history”. The Department of History Education of the University of Education, Winneba (DHE – UEW) organised a symposium to commemorate the event at the Jophus Anamuah-Mensah Conference Centre, North Campus, UEW, at Winneba, on Friday, 1st March, 2024. The symposium provided an opportunity for intellectual discourse and reflection on the theme; bringing together highly regarded scholars from reputable universities to discuss and analyse in detail the dynamics and impact of nationalism and patriotism within the context of Ghana's rich history. It was also accompanied by stimulating documentary screenings and captivating cultural performances that triggered insightful conversations and enhanced participants' understanding of the nation's collective identity.

The Ghana National History Day is celebrated in the first week of March each year, coinciding with the ‘Ghana Month’ celebration, which is a call on all Ghanaian citizens to reflect on and develop interest in everything about Ghana. As a nation, it behoves us to pay particular attention to the importance of history in nation building to help re-conceptualise, reform and re-invigorate the study of history. This will also go a long way to erase the erroneous impressions some people have about the subject and enable the nation to derive the benefits associated with it. Kudos to the Department of History Education at UEW (DHE – UEW) for this great initiative and leading the way for the Ghana National History Day celebration.

The writer is a library staff member at

University of Education, Winneba (UEW)

Winneba Campus
Email: [email protected]