Accra: The inaugural Accra Arts and Health Festival has ended with a partnership to develop Ghana's first Creative Health Curriculum for nursing students. The two-day festival brought together artists, health professionals, researchers, policymakers, educators, and community leaders to examine the role of arts and creativity in healthcare, education, and wellbeing.
According to Ghana News Agency, Professor Anthony Kwame Ahiawodzi, Vice Chancellor of Knutsford University, emphasized that the partnership with the Global Arts in Medicine Fellowship (GAIMF) would strengthen patient-centered healthcare education. "Through this partnership, our students will gain experiential learning in the use of visual arts, music, drama, movement, and storytelling as tools for healing and wellbeing," he stated.
The festival was founded by GAIMF and inspired by the Global South Arts and Health Initiative, which organizers reported had reached more than 45 cities and 500,000 community members globally. It was organized in partnership with Knutsford University, the British Council, Young Leaders for Arts and Health, and the National Health Students' Association of Ghana (NAHSAG).
A major outcome was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Knutsford University and GAIMF to co-develop the Creative Health Curriculum for nursing students. The curriculum is expected to incorporate arts-based approaches, creative wellbeing practices, and experiential learning into nursing education, focusing on patients' physical, emotional, and psychosocial needs.
Prof. Ahiawodzi noted that the partnership would also involve co-designing modules, building faculty capacity, enabling student participation in international festivals, and undertaking research in creative health education. Dr. Kunle Adewale, Chair and Global Development Lead of the Global South Arts and Health Initiative, described the festival as a significant development for Ghana's cultural and health sectors. He highlighted the festival as a milestone in Ghana's cultural and health landscape, showcasing how creativity can transform communities and shape the future of public health across the country.
Dr. Adewale further stated that the MoU would accelerate creative health education in Africa by preparing health professionals for inclusive, interdisciplinary, and creative practice. The festival also designated the Accra Art District as Africa's first Creative Health Corridor, providing a platform for collaboration among artists, health professionals, researchers, and communities.
Organizers revealed that the festival had invested over GHS100,000 in scholarships for early-career researchers, professionals, and students to expand access to creative health programs. Medical students from the University of Ghana also co-designed three creative health pilot projects as part of efforts to promote arts-integrated approaches in medical education.
The festival hosted the GRACE-Epi Workshop in Ghana for the first time, supported by the Wellcome Discovery Award and led by the University of Glasgow with partners including MEIRU, University College London, the Global South Arts and Health Initiative, ArtGlo Africa, and GCDN. The workshop focused on interdisciplinary research into the links between arts, ageing, and wellbeing.
Organizers expressed their commitment to continue building partnerships across the arts, healthcare, education, research, policy, and community sectors to promote creative health innovation in Ghana and the wider Global South.