Cephas Yao Agbemenu
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Cephas Yao Agbemenu (born 29 May 1951) is a
Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
ian Art Professor who teaches at the
Kenyatta University Kenyatta University (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Nairobi County, Kenya. It acquired the status of university in 1985, being the third university after University of Nairobi (1970) and Moi University (1984). As of O ...
in
Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...
,
Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...
. He is a sculptor and a traditional African wood carver who sees parallels between his carvings and life.


Biography

Cephas Yao Agbemenu was born on 29 May 1951 in Leklebi-Kame, in the
Volta Region Volta Region (or Volta) is one of Ghana's sixteen administrative regions, with Ho designated as its capital. It is located west of Republic of Togo and to the east of Lake Volta. Divided into 25 administrative districts, the region is multi-et ...
of
Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
, West Africa. He grew up in Ghana, going to school where art and crafts lessons were a part of the curriculum. He also learned farming, backyard gardening, fishing, trapping and hunting. All requiring good coordination and visual abilities in order to complete those tasks. Agbemenu went on to Secondary School at Evangelical Presbyterian Secondary School in
Hohoe Hohoe Municipal is one of the 25 administrative districts of the Volta Region of Ghana.  It was carved out of the former Kpando District. It was established by the Legislative Instrument (L.I. 2072) of 2012. The Municipality has a total land ar ...
, Volta Region, where he took his Ordinary-Level School Certificate in Art, English Language, Ewe Language, Maths, General Science, Principles of Accounts, Geography. He then attended
Kpandu Kpando is a town and capital of Kpando Municipal District in the northern Volta Region of Ghana. It is near the north eastern arm of Lake Volta and the Togo border. Kpando is the fifty-fourth most populous place in Ghana, in terms of population, ...
Secondary School, Volta Region. He completed this program with Advanced-Level School Certificate, his major subjects being Art, Economics, Geography, General Studies in the year of 1972. in June 1976 he completed a bachelor's degree in Fine Art with First Class Honours at the
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) is a public University of Ghana that focuses on science and technology. The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology is the public university established in the country, as well a ...
,
Kumasi Kumasi (historically spelled Comassie or Coomassie, usually spelled Kumase in Twi) is a city in the Ashanti Region, and is among the largest metropolitan areas in Ghana. Kumasi is located in a rain forest region near Lake Bosomtwe, and is the ...
, Ghana, majoring in Sculpture, Painting, Art History, English Literature, Art Appreciation and African Studies. Agbemenu then obtained his
Master of Fine Arts A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.) is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admini ...
Degree from the
State University of New York at Buffalo The State University of New York at Buffalo, commonly called the University at Buffalo (UB) and sometimes called SUNY Buffalo, is a public research university with campuses in Buffalo and Amherst, New York. The university was founded in 1846 ...
(February 1980). His major subject was
Sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...
, including Wood Carving, P.O.P, Concrete and Bronze casting, with Painting, Drawing and Art History as his minors.


Teaching and career

Agbemenu started to teach at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in 1977 with Art, Sculpture and Drawing. He has taught African Art, Sculpture, Black History in a global perspective in many different countries, along with Ceramics, African History, Culture European Art History and African Carvings. In 1987 he started as a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Fine Art, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya. Lecturing: Contemporary African Art; Sculpture and traditional African Wood carving.


Fulbright Scholar

Agbemenu was awarded the prestigious
Fulbright Scholarship The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...
, which enabled him to visit to the United States to teach at two colleges in Pennsylvania. The first was
Reading Area Community College Reading Area Community College (RACC) is a public community college in Reading, Pennsylvania. The college was founded in 1971 and serves the greater Reading area and Berks County, Pennsylvania. The institution is an Hispanic-serving institution ...
in the city of Reading, where he gave lessons on African woodcarving and also participated in a Dialog "The Spiritual Dimension in Art" with Art Professor
Tullio DeSantis Tullio Francesco DeSantis (born 1948), also known as Tullio, is an American contemporary artist, writer, technologist, and teacher. His work is informed by ancient and contemporary philosophy, science, and the relationship between art and life. ...
on 2 March 2010. Agbemenu has said: "It's not necessary to pursue art, but I think it's necessary to pursue artistic thinking; the thinking that there is an alternative solution." Agbemenu then travelled to
Montgomery County Community College Montgomery County Community College (MCCC or Montco) is a public community college in Blue Bell in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. MCCC also has two satellite locations, Pottstown Campus and Culinary Arts Institute in Lansdale. It is accredite ...
, Social Sciences Division, Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, c/o Dr. Aaron Shatzman from January 2010 to June 2010 (Scholar-in-Residence Program). Agbemenu taught Contemporary African Art and Culture, in addition to conducting studio classes in Traditional African Wood Carving. The basic tools used for his woodcarving classes were straight and spoon gouges, chisel, carving knife, veiner. He was quoted as saying: "America is seen as the citadel of knowledge and power. That is why many of us chose to come to the United States for graduate studies. My presence at Montgomery County Community College will be measured in both theory and practice, in terms of cross-cultural understanding in this period of globalization."


African proverbs

Agbemenu was a member of and contributor to the African Proverbs, Stories and Sayings Committee chaired by Father Joseph Healey founded in Nairobi, Kenya. In June 2008 Professor Agbemenu was awarded a grant to compile a booklet of 100 EWE Ghana Proverbs with African Symbols as illustrations of the proverbs, translated into English. The work has been published on the www.afriprov.org website. The Theme of "Reconciliation and Peace". ''A Collection of EWE Proverbs'' was published with illustrations and translations by Cephas Yao Agbemenu on 1 November 2010.''A Collection Of Ewe Proverbs''
Cephas Yao Agbemenu. Retrieved 8 November 2010.


References


External links

*Tullio DeSantis, "The Universal Language", Readingeagle ARTology, 23 February 2010
Reading EagleCephas Yao Agbemenu Information
Retrieved 25 May 2010 {{DEFAULTSORT:Agbemenu, Cephas Yao 1951 births Ghanaian artists Living people Academic staff of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Fulbright alumni