I am delighted to share with you this riveting conversation. Professor Akilagpa Sawyerr, a man of very, very many parts, shares truly sagacious reflections on his rich experiences. He is steeped in both theory and praxis.
His approach to answering questions is a masterclass in communication for younger leaders.
Aki is never predictable in terms of where he will land a killer punch, or where he will make an even more devastating point, through omission rather than commission. Consistently, he remains rigorous and keeps fidelity to facts.
In this wide-ranging conversation, he touches on so many matters of deep relevance today. In tackling the experiences and fate of education, he in a sense discusses deeply the issues of talent development in nation-building. It is rewarding to hear him speak about some of the crises in tertiary education.
And it is alarming to hear him speak about the crisis the failures of policy implementation in of Free second-cycle education have led to in Ghana.
He shares rewarding insights into CODESRIA and the role of such groups in African scholarship. Then moves to his many and varied experiences in handling difficult multistakeholder negotiations.
There is enough in those, real-life experiences of getting agreements with transnational corporations in place that do not exploit small and weak countries, for several books.
Just as important are his reflections on how to ensure sustainable resources of our nature-given minerals and ecology.
Now subtle, now devastatingly and explosively direct, he is a provocative conversationalist. When the interview ends, one cannot but be grateful that this Sage, like all the others, poured out so much in such a short time. There is no doubt that the conversation needs another hour at least.
So that the musician that became a Law Professor, can tell us a bit more about other things.
For example, we need to get Aki’s reflections on his time at the University of Dar Es Salaam, his experiences with students like Willy Mutunga (ex-CJ of Kenya), Issa Shivji (the famous Pan-Africanist scholar from Tanzania), Yoweri Museveni (now president of Uganda) and more.
This was also the time when the faculty had Walter Rodney, Giovanni Arrighi and many more of such notable scholars. Aki has much to say about Pan-Africanism, etc. etc. etc.
Enjoy his provocation and stimulation. You may not agree with him on everything, I do not think that is his intention anyway, but he will make you think. Then help us to get him for another interview.
Best wishes, my only request to you all, is that you circulate this link to as many of your contacts as you can.