BRIDGING LEGACIES: 3D PRESERVATION OF OGUAA ASAFO MATERIAL CULTURE FROM THE TWENTIETH CENTURY

Since the early nineteenth century, the Oguaa Asafo companies have transformed from traditional military institutions to cultural performers. Today, many Asafo companies continue to stand out as recognized institutions in the Central Region of Ghana and maintain their military traditions. However, their roles as cultural disseminators have become more essential, and they perform mainly during Ghanaian festivals. In this interdisciplinary paper, I use historical, anthropological, and art historical methods and rely primarily on archival research, community engagement, and digital tools to study the material culture and preservation practices of the Oguaa Asafo companies. I propose 3D scanning as a way to preserve the artifacts of the Cape Coast Asafo companies digitally. Digital preservation is crucial at a time when cultural and natural factors, including urbanization, museum fires, interstate wars, and pandemic pressures, have threatened and limited accessibility to critical cultural items. This project advocates for the Oguaa Asafo companies to start digitizing their artifacts as part of decolonization efforts by exploring affordable digitizing technology and platforms. It serves as an avenue to educate the Asafo companies on repatriation and how they can begin preparing to receive their lost artifacts and properly store them in the future.