Prof. John Collins Joins Dikan to Lead Highlife, Oral History and Cultural Research

Accra, Ghana — Ethnomusicologist and musician  Professor John Collins has joined the Dikan Center as the head of its newly established Bokoor Department, a move aimed at preserving and celebrating Africa’s rich musical heritage.

Collins, renowned globally for his deep expertise and over 50 years of extensive research on African music—particularly Ghana's highlife—has entrusted Dikan with his extraordinary personal archives. This vast collection contains approximately six million culturally significant items, including rare music recordings, original papers, academic writings, musical instruments, thousands of historical photographs, posters, oral histories, and unique manuscripts and articles  gathered over decades. Prof. Collins is internationally celebrated for his pioneering research and extensive contributions to African musicology, particularly his in-depth study of Ghana’s highlife music. His career, spanning over five  decades, includes influential publications such as Highlife Time, West African Pop Roots, and African Musical Symbolism. These  publications  include  biographies of famous Ghanaian and Nigerian performers;  like  E.T. Mensah (Tempos),  King Bruce  (Black Beats),  Oscarmore  Ofori, Kwaa Mensah, E.K Nyame,  Thomas Ampoumah, Francis Kenya, Ignace  de Souza (Black Santiagos), Stan Plange (Uhuru), Blay Ambolley, Sammy Odoh, Otoo Lincoln (Kpanlogo), Kofi Ghanaba (aka Guy Warren), Nii Ashitey (Wulomei),  Kwese Asare, Bibie Brew,  Sonny Okosun,  Segun Bucknor, ‘Opia’ Bampoe (Jaguar Jokers),  Victor Uwaifo  and Fela Anikulapo Kuti.  Collins is also known for founding his  Jamestown  based Bokoor highlife band in the  1970s,  and then in the  1980s his  Bokoor Recording  Studio  in South  Ofankor Accra  which became instrumental in documenting legendary African artists and  profoundly impacting global perceptions of African popular music.   Some of the 200 artists/bands that  recorded at this studio  in the 1980s and 90s  include  King Bruce,  Mustapha Tettey Addy,  Kwaa Mensah  ,T.O. Jazz. Genesis Gospel Singers,  Koo Nimo,  F. Kenya.  Nana Danso Abiam’a Pan African Orchestra, Waterproof,. Super OD,  Smart Arpeh, Amartey Hedzoleh, Nii Nortey’s  Mau Mau Musiki, Ray Ellis, Shasha Marley,  Kojo Antwi,   Abebe and the Bantus,. K.K. Kabobo,. Lady Talata, Joe Eyison and  Sloopy Mike Gyamfi    

"Joining Dikan Center provides a tremendous opportunity to ensure these important cultural treasures are safeguarded and shared widely," Collins said. "We aim to inspire a greater appreciation and understanding of Africa’s diverse musical traditions."

Many items from the archives had previously faced deterioration and flood damage, but now Dikan is carefully digitizing and cataloging each piece. Upon completion, the entire collection will be publicly accessible at the Bokoor Room in Dikan's library, with select items featured in future exhibitions.

Prof John at his office at Dikan on June, 2025

Under Collins’s guidance, the Bokoor Department will become a leading center for research and education in African traditional and neo-traditional  music, popular music and   theatre, and oral history. Key upcoming initiatives include the highly anticipated "100 Years of Highlife" exhibition in 2025, marking a century since the genre's inception. Collins will also lead efforts for international collaboration, notably working with UNESCO to recognize highlife as a global cultural heritage.

Dikan has also introduced the Bokoor Fellowship, which will support scholars, researchers, and cultural curators in archiving, research, and creating new insights into African music and traditions working with Prof. John.

"Having Professor Collins at Dikan greatly enhances our capacity to lead global discourse on African cultural heritage," said Paul Ninson, Director of Dikan Center. "We are excited about the possibilities his expertise and archives bring, not just to Ghana, but to the global cultural community."

Collins’s arrival positions Dikan firmly as a thought leader in preserving and promoting African music and cultural history, providing an invaluable resource for current and future generations.

Prof John, playing highlife music in his house on August, 2024