Categories
Archaeology

NORPART Symposium 28th November 2018

Recently we organized a half-day symposium highlighting different aspects of the NORPART cooperation. The symposium was held at the archaeology dept at Kalvskinnet and was organized by Anne Ihr. The aim of the symposium was to advertise for the NORPART program and to highlight the value of mobility and international cooperation for our students and staff.

The program was varied with information about the NORPART exchange program at NTNU as well as presentations form previous and current NORPART participants.

NORPART syposium programDownload

A big thank you to all who participated by either giving a talk or by attending the presentations. We hope the symposium has inspired you to seek out new international challenges and perhaps even apply for one of the places for next year’s exchanges to Ghana?

Categories
Archaeology

NORPART scholar at NTNU workshop

Visiting NORPART PhD fellow Samuel Gyam held a very interesting lecture at a local NTNU research workshop last week. The title of the workshop was “Colonial Entanglements: Institutions, Memory, Resistance” and was organized by Astrid Rasch and the Decolonial Research Group at NTNU.

Samuel presented aspects of his archaeological work from the area around Fort Saint Anthony at Axim, Ghana. The presentation was a very relevant and stimulating addition to the program and was well received. Thank you, Samuel for the presentation and for representing the NORAPRT cooperation so well.

Categories
Summer course

Our Ghana adventure

Our four weeks in Ghana is now coming to an end. Today we leave for Accra, and then to Norway tomorrow. As our last update said, we have taken the course Atlantic history and heritage together with 14 Ghanaian students. During the course we have had lectures and we have travelled to see the slave forts in Cape Coast, Elmina and Accra. The lectures have been great and it was really interesting to actually visit the castles and walk around in the Danish area in Accra. We also attended a Norpart conference in Cape Coast alongside students and professors from University of Education, University of Cape Coast and University of Ghana.

Eirik, Henriette and Nils at the Norpart conference, talking about their experience so far in Ghana.

John is giving a lecture in our classroom at UEW.

Our lecturers: Per Hernæs, John Kwadwo Osei-Tutu, Jon Olav Hove and Patrik Hettula.

Group photo outside Christiansborg castle in Accra.

We got our own schoolbus.

An archive in the library basement at Legon campus, University of Ghana, Accra.

 

During the lectures, we have had many interesting discussions, and we have also had seminars where both Norwegian and Ghanaian students have presented their master thesis. After the lectures finished, we have written a paper on the transatlantic slave trade and a group assignment about the Asafo companies. Asafo was originally created as a military group, and we have interview members of the two companies in Winneba, to get an overview of their history and their function in the society. The group work have been both rewarding and challenging. We have learned a lot during our stay, both about the Atlantic history and heritage and about Ghanaian culture.

Members of the Tuafo Asafo company, after the interview.

University of Education gave us custom made shirts.

We participated in the fishing one morning, with the local fishermen.

Climbing for coconuts, like the locals.

Categories
Summer course

Update from Ghana

This is a short update from the 13 NTNU-students currently staying in Ghana, and taking the course Atlantic History and Heritage at University of Education, Winneba.

We have been here for almost two of the total four weeks, and our stay has so far been packed with new knowledge and cultural encounters. With us is also 14 Ghanaian students taking the same course. The entire course is based on sharing knowledge and different perspectives, so we have been traveling and working together.

There are a few pictures attached to this update, and we hope that they give an insight in what we are experiencing here in Ghana.

 

We went to visit a former slave fort in the town of Elmina

 

From our guided tour at Cape Coast Castle

 

Outside a building connected with the Asafo company in Elmina

 

Some of us held a presentation during NORPART Intercultural Historical Studies Workshop

 

The beach in Winneba, which is located only 2 minutes away from our hotel

 

A snapshot from the hallways of UEW

 

 

Categories
History-NORPART

Late Lunch with NORPART

Friday 8th June, NORPART invited the Department and our students to a late lunch. We celebrated the NORPART project first turnaround with students with this lunch. Five students from Cape Coast University were about to leave Trondheim, four archaeology students from University in Ghana, Legon arrived in Trondheim for a month of internship. Thirteen students from NTNU was also ready to leave the North for the sunny University of Education in Winneba.

PhD student Bruno talks about his stay at NTNU Photo: Kristine Graneng

The first semester is done, four MA-students and one PhD student in history from Cape Coast University have been in Trondheim for five months. When they first arrived, the city was covered in snow and ice. When they left, the city was green and the sun did not set for the night. We at the Department of Historical studies hope they went home with more than 30 credits from NTNU. We hope they filled their backpacks with study skills, memories and cultural knowledge about another country. We wish you the best of luck in the future.

Bruno, Paul Kofi, Kingsley, Justina and Julian from CCU Photo: Kristine Graneng

 

 

 

 

Categories
History-NORPART

PROJECT DESIGN WORKSHOP

We also had series of workshops to help shape thesis proposals of the master’s students and (Prof) John Kwadwo Osei-Tutu was very instrument and resourceful as you can see him making a very important point in the very first picture. #NORPART-NTNU/UCC2018DIARIES

Categories
History-NORPART

“SUNDAY HIKE”

In the woods with some of the wonderful staff of the Department of Historical Studies, NTNU – Norway.

Categories
History-NORPART

CITY WALK: NORPART – NTNU ´18

It was so much fun going through the beautiful city of Trondheim with Linda and Ingrid (both of the Department of Historical Studies). Such a historic city with amazing scenery. see for yourself:

 

Categories
History-NORPART

My NORPART Journey

Hei!

My name is Kingsley Agyapong from Ghana. I am currently in Norway for the NORPART Exchange Program. My NORPART journey to Norway started in Ghana when our Head of Department (History) at the University of Cape Coast(UCC) announced to us that UCC has a partnership program with Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) under NORPART and as a result we are going  for exchange program in Norway to study. I was very much excited when I heard the news. We held several meetings with our Head of Department regarding  application processes.

Through the support of the Department of Historical Studies at NTNU I had a  very smooth application process through Soknadsweb Portal. Also through the support of NTNU International Office, my  Visa application process was very easy. The International Office sent me a link for my Visa application after I had receive my invitation letter and the  scholarship as well as  directing me the kind of documents I should submit to the Norwegian Royal Embassy in Accra. In less than two weeks after my Visa application submission, my plane ticket was sent to me. In the following week I had a call from the Norwegian Royal Embassy that my decision was in. Fortunately for me, I was granted a resident permit to study in Norway. In a whole, the applications were easier and faster.

Knowing that I was going to live in a  new environment, the first point of my preparation was reading more about Norwegian life and culture such as food and clothing as well as environmental conditions such as the weather.  After familiarizing myself with Norway through my readings, I prepared very well before my departure from Ghana to Norway. There is a saying that “there’s nothing like a bad weather but bad cloth,” and  having this in mind, I brought  some warm jackets to face the weather in Norway. Knowing that feeding was going to be difficult since Norwegian foods were new to me, I brought local food stuffs such as gari, shito, banku, milo, nido, and sugar etc to start with before I switch to Norwegian foods.  I wish I had brought a shaving machine to cut my hair since finding expert barbers with  regards to African hair cut in Trondheim became very difficult. I had to wait for a month and some days before I had my first cut.

My first impression I had when I landed in Norway was the cold weather. In fact, walking alone proved to be difficult the very first day I landed in Trondheim Airport.  The whole land was covered by ice and the weather too was very cold. Another great impression I had  was that Norwegians are tolerant. At the Trondheim Airport, I did not spend more than ten minutes to board a bus to to my destination in Trondheim.

Regarding my student accommodation at SiT, I was extremely happy when I entered my room. SiT rooms are well furnished with modern facilities such as table and chair, Ethernet connection pots for internet connectivity, good cooking facilities, good shower and wash room facilities to mention but few.

Currently, I am taken four courses namely; Comparative Colonialism: Dominance, Resistance and Globalization c. 1850 – 1960 (HIST3375), Genocide, Human Rights and History (HIST3205), Political Economy of Natural Resources, 1870-2000 (HIST3400), and Research Project.

I am extremely enjoying my stay and study in Norway. Thanks to the Department of Historical Studies for their extreme warmth welcoming  and guidance as well as the Orientation team from the International Office for their great contribution regarding all the needed  information on how to live in Trondheim as well as NTNU.

 

 

 

 

 

Categories
Archaeology

Staff visit to Dept of Archaeology at UG at Legon

This is short report, with some impressions from a recent staff visit to the Dept of Archaeology and Heritage studies at the University of Ghana in Accra (Legon campus). This Dept will be the main partner for exchanges involving archaeology students during the NORPART project.

The aim of the visit was to meet our partners from the staff at the archaeology program at UG. In addition it gave us an oppurtunity to discuss our research interests and focus and explore the possibilities for future collaborations. This kind of interaction is important for a successful joint planning of future courses and exchanges.We also wanted to get some impression of the campus and fascilities that will be available for NTNU students during their NORPART exchanges to UG at Legon.

During the visit to the Dept we had the opportunity to visit the library, labs and museum at the Dept, but also the dorms. bookstore and main library on the the university campus at Legon. The campus at Legon is very comfortable, offering a wide range of different facilities for students and staff. We are sure that archaeology students from NTNU will enjoy their stay at the Dept and at Legon.

There are also many interesting and stimulating places to visit beyond the campus. During our short visit, we received a guided tour of various archaeological and historical sites in and around the Castle at Osu/Christiansborg. We also manages to squeeze in a visit to the wonderful Aburi Botanic Gardens.

We are very grateful to our hosts at the Dept for their kind welcome and hospitality and especially to Wazi Apoh for taking such good care of us. We are looking forward to this collaboration and to carrying out many successful student exchanges together in the future.