Dr. Epifania Amoo-Adare

Person
Priorities

Short Bio

Epifania Akosua Amoo-Adare is a multifaceted artist, independent womanist-feminist scholar, and development professional. As the founder of Biraa Creative Initiative (BCI) Ltd, she fosters collaborations that blend creative expression, research, storytelling, and advocacy, while focusing on unlearning. Through BCI, Epifania aims to transform development thinking, emphasizing the "art of unthinking"—a process that challenges outdated paradigms and encourages self-transformation through the development of critical literacies essential for navigating our rapidly changing mobile world.

Epifania’s work invites deeper reflection on human and social development by co-creating spaces for dialogue and creativity in order to decolonize hegemonic frameworks and promote more inclusive, decolonial narratives. Drawing on her extensive experience across education, international development, and social housing in diverse global contexts, including Afghanistan, Germany, Ghana, Qatar, the UK and the USA, she integrates these insights into her artistic and scholarly work.

With a Ph.D. in Education from UCLA and as a RIBA part II qualified architect, Epifania's interests encompass the creative arts, critical spatial literacy, epistemology, feminism(s), decoloniality and spirituality. She is also a versatile artist—as the creative persona A.B. Godfreed, who shares art, beat-mixes, and narratives digitally. Through platforms such as Medium, Instagram, and Soundcloud, she explores the interconnectedness of humanity, celebrating diversity while recognizing our shared epigenetic bonds. Her work, blending art, technology, and critical thought, continues to inspire and provoke new ways of understanding our collective and highly entangled experience.

Selected Publications

Amoo-Adare, E. (January, 2025). “My Life in Your Hands: Womanist Reflections on Love, Space & Pedagogy.” In L. Maparyan (Ed.), Womanism Rising: Womanist Studies is Here! (New Visions in Womanism, Feminism, and Indigeneity series). Champaign, IL: University of Illinois Press.
Amoo-Adare, E. & Siriwardane-de Zoysa, R., editors, (2024). An Anthology of Non-Conformism: Rebel Women Words, Ways & Wonders. New York: DIO Press.
Pfohl, S., Ayers, B., Turner, A. R., Godfreed, A.B., Zecchin, M., Borowoski, M., Ito, K., Efeoglou, E., Moore, R., Wittig, M. D., Young, C., tujak, l., Thorne, A., Fletcher, B., Stevenson, E. D., Manero, J., Maeso-Broncano, A., Mesias-Lema, J. M., Escano, C., Hurley, Z., Spear, K., Brynjolson, N., Sanders, J. T., Lewis, T. E., & Blas, N. (2021). Simple, Dark, and Deep: Photographic Theorizations of As-Yet Schools. Postdigital Science and Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42438-021-00233-9
Bier, M. & Amoo-Adare, E. (February 2016). “Not Quite Home or Alone: A Conversation on Belonging in a Digital Age”. Crossroads Working Paper Series. Bonn, Germany: Center for Development Research, University of Bonn. See: https://bonndoc.ulb.uni-bonn.de/xmlui/handle/20.500.11811/166
Amoo-Adare, E. (2013). “Spatial Literacy: Contemporary Asante Women’s Place-making.” First book in O. Oyewumi (Series Ed.), Gender and Cultural Studies in Africa and the Diaspora. Palgrave Macmillan.

Project Description

"Who is Lucy!?! African Wo|Mxn Native|Other" is a collaborative, decolonial feminist art project that explores the complexities of identity, race, and belonging through the lens of African heritage. Co-created by Dr. Epifania Amoo-Adare and Ms. Ann-Marie Ellmann, the project aims to disrupt traditional notions of art and knowledge creation, positioning them as relational, collective processes rather than individual, solitary acts. The work is structured around a series of interventions, including the curation of autobiographical found objects—artworks, letters, photographs—and the collection of diverse opinions through cognitive mapping exercises, where participants are asked, “Who is African?”

The project evolves into an immersive, sensory art installation that engages all five senses: sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. Participants move through the installation, interacting with audiovisual projections, fabrics, culinary offerings, and sensory elements to question their own understanding of African identity. By invoking these multisensory experiences, the installation dismantles binary thinking and explores the intersections of race, gender, and colonial histories.

Through this participatory process, the project examines the shifting definitions of "African" and "woman" within the colonial matrix of power, reflecting on both historical and contemporary interpretations. Ultimately, "Who is Lucy!?!" seeks to provide a platform for dialogue, challenging stereotypes and offering a space for collective (un)learning, with the aim of decolonizing how art, identity, and knowledge are conceived. This is a radical exploration of Africa’s multiplicity, contradictions, and its role in globalizing histories and futures.