Toward Decolonial Tourism Education in Ghana: A Critical Ethnography

Abstract

(English) Tourism education, especially in institutions of higher learning has grown to become an important area in tourism literature since the 1980s (Fidgeon, 2010; Liburd, Hjalager, & Christensen, 2011; Sheldon, Fesenmaier, & Tribe, 2013). This development, especially in the Global South, has been largely due to the growth in the tourism industry, and the consequent need to develop a philosophical and pedagogical understanding into tourism. In Ghana, tourism education has remained deeply embedded in colonial frameworks, consequently influencing both pedagogical approaches and knowledge production. In this critical ethnographic study, I examine the relationship between tourism education and colonization in the Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management (DHTM) at the University of Cape Coast (UCC). Through this methodological approach, I unpacked how tourism education either reinforces and / or resists colonial knowledge structures while exploring decolonial alternatives that centre Ghanaian and African epistemologies. I drew on epistemic decolonization theories (Chambers & Buzinde, 2015; Grosfoguel, 2007) to challenge dominant Western and Eurocentric paradigms and to offer alternative possibilities of tourism educational practices that unsettle colonialist thought, organization, and infrastructure of current tourism education, trends, policies, and practices that have existed in the DHTM, UCC. Through in-depth interviews with faculty, students, and staff, as well as participant observations, I found that while some faculty members actively resist colonial dominance by incorporating Ghanaian and African perspectives into their teaching, structural barriers hinder the full decolonization of tourism education in the department. The study therefore highlights the importance of participatory curriculum development, storytelling, and oral histories as legitimate knowledge transmission methods, aligning with broader calls for decolonial pedagogical practices (Mbembe, 2016). Additionally, the study critiques the Eurocentric organization of knowledge in academic libraries and the marginalization of African-authored works. It advocates for a restructured classification system that prioritizes Ghanaian and African scholarship to foster epistemic decolonization. The research suggests that decolonizing tourism education requires more than superficial curriculum changes. Instead, structural transformation of knowledge production, educational infrastructure, and pedagogical approaches are required for any effective decolonial transformation to happen. This dissertation contributes to ongoing discussions on Africanization and decolonization in higher education, urging educators and policymakers to reimagine tourism education in a way that is responsive to local histories, cultures, and aspirations.

(Ewe) Tsaɖiɖi ŋuti hehenana, vevietɔ le suku kɔkɔwo me va zu akpa vevi aɖe le tsaɖiɖi ŋuti agbalẽwo me tso ƒe 1980-awo me (Fidgeon, 2010; Liburd, Hjalager, & Christensen, 2011; Sheldon, Fesenmaier, & Tribe, 2013). Ŋgɔyiyi sia, vevietɔ le Xexeame Katã ƒe Anyiehe la, tso tsaɖiɖi ƒe dɔwɔƒewo ƒe dzidziɖedzi gbɔ koŋ, kple alesi wòhiã be woatu xexemenunya kple nufiafia gɔmesese ɖo ɖe tsaɖiɖi me tso esia ta. Le Ghana la, tsaɖiɖi ŋuti hehenana gakpɔtɔ ƒo ke ɖe to ɖe dutanyigbadziɖuɖu ƒe ɖoɖowo me vevie, si wɔe be ekpɔ ŋusẽ ɖe nufiafiamɔnu kple sidzedze wɔwɔ siaa dzi. Le ameƒomeviwo ŋuti numekuku vevi sia me la, medzro ƒomedodo si le tsaɖiɖi ŋuti hehenana kple dutanyigbadzinɔlawo dome le Department si woyana be Hospitality kple Tourism Management (DHTM) le Cape Coast Yunivɛsiti (UCC) me. To mɔnu sia dzi la, meɖe alesi tsaɖiɖi ŋuti hehenana doa ŋusẽ kple / alo tsi tre ɖe dutanyigbadzinɔlawo ƒe sidzedze ƒe ɖoɖowo ŋu esime mele dutanyigbadziɖuɖu ƒe mɔnu bubu siwo le titina na Ghana kple Afrika ƒe sidzedzeŋutinunyawo me dzrom. Me za epistemic decolonization nusɔsrɔwo (Chambers & Buzinde, 2015; Grosfoguel, 2007) tsɔ tsi tre ɖe Eurocentric paradigms siwo xɔ aƒe ɖe amewo me ŋu eye matsɔ tsaɖiɖi ƒe hehenana nuwɔna bubu siwo ate ŋu adzɔ siwo tɔtɔa dutanyigbadziɖuɖu ƒe susu siwo nɔ anyi le DHTM, UCC me la ana. To gbebiame deto siwo wowɔ kple nufialawo, sukuviwo, kple dɔwɔlawo, kpakple gomekpɔlawo ƒe ŋkuléleɖenuŋu me la, mekpɔe be togbɔ be nufialawo dometɔ aɖewo tsia tre ɖe dutanyigbadziɖuɖu ƒe ŋusẽkpɔɖeamedzi ŋu vevie to Ghanatɔwo kple Afrikatɔwo ƒe nukpɔsusuwo dede woƒe nufiafia me hã la, xɔtuɖoɖo ƒe mɔxenuwo xea mɔ na tsaɖiɖi ŋuti hehenana ƒe dutanyigbadziɖuɖu bliboe ɖeɖeɖa le dɔwɔƒea. Eyata numekukua te gbe ɖe gomekpɔkpɔ le nusɔsrɔ̃ɖoɖowo wɔwɔ, ŋutinya gbɔgblɔ, kple ŋutinya siwo wogblɔ kple nu ƒe vevienyenye dzi abe sidzedze ƒe kakamɔnu siwo le se nu ene, si wɔ ɖeka kple yɔyɔ siwo keke ta wu be woawɔ nufiafiamɔnu siwo me woɖea dutanyigbawo ɖa le (Mbembe, 2016). Tsɔ kpe ɖe eŋu la, numekukua ɖe ɖeklemi sidzedze ƒe ɖoɖowɔwɔ si wotu ɖe Europa dzi le agbalẽdzraɖoƒe siwo me wosrɔ̃a nu le kple agbalẽ siwo Afrikatɔwo ŋlɔ la ɖeɖe ɖe aga. Eʋlia hatsotsowo me toto ƒe ɖoɖo si wogbugbɔ trɔ asi le si tsɔa Ghana kple Afrika ƒe agbalẽnyalagãwo ɖoa nɔƒe gbãtɔ be woatsɔ ado sidzedze ƒe dutanyigbawo ɖeɖeɖa ɖe ŋgɔ. Numekukua ɖee fia be tsaɖiɖi ŋuti hehenana ɖeɖeɖa bia nu geɖe wu nusɔsrɔ̃ɖoɖowo ƒe tɔtrɔ gotagometɔwo ko. Ke boŋ, ehiã be woatrɔ asi le sidzedze wɔwɔ, sukudede ƒe xɔtuɖoɖowo, kple nufiafiamɔnu ŋu le ɖoɖo nu hafi tɔtrɔ ɖesiaɖe si awɔ dɔ nyuie le dutanyigbawo ɖeɖeɖa me nate ŋu adzɔ. Nusɔsrɔ̃ sia kpena ɖe numedzodzro siwo yia edzi le Afrikatɔwo ƒe tɔtrɔ kple dutanyigbawo ɖeɖeɖa ŋu le suku kɔkɔwo me ŋu, eye wòƒoe ɖe nufialawo kple ɖoɖowɔlawo nu be woagbugbɔ akpɔ tsaɖiɖi ŋuti hehenana le susu me le mɔ si awɔ ɖeka kple nutoa me ŋutinyawo, dekɔnuwo, kple didiwo nu.