Researcher

Educator

Storyteller

Designing African Educational Futures

I am Dr. Nikitta Dede Adjirakor, an activist-scholar committed to designing educational systems in Africa.

At heart, I am a teacher and researcher in higher education with over a decades experience in cultural studies. I bring a global perspective through my international career which also includes curriculum and institutional design for basic schools.

I am passionate about intentionally designing education in Africa and view storytelling as a necessary step in building Africa’s future. To this regard, I am building Yellow Mango Press, a children’s media company focused on inclusive, multilingual and diverse African content through books, games and apps. I have also worked with other literary platforms to produce more diverse stories for children and adults.

I am a published author and award-winning filmmaker spanning children’s books, poetry and a documentary.

Whether in the classroom, behind a camera, on stage or writing, my mission is constant: to build decolonised, holistic educational systems that nurture the next generation of global citizens.

Photo credit: @visualoctopi

What I do - Let’s connect!

Curriculum Design & Development

I design educational content and build curricula rooted in pedagogical principles for basic and higher educational institutions. I create decolonised curricula that make use of past and present knowledges to build a developed future through diverse media and technological forms.

Multilingual, Inclusive Publishing

Together with children’s writers, illustrators and translators, I have designed literary platforms that reinforce African storytelling through engaging visuals and exciting stories. I facilitate ideation, development and circulation.

Teaching

My teaching aims to encourage students to use their imaginations to explore different worlds and to equip them with critical thinking skills. I give lectures and talks on literature, African studies, digital technologies, publishing and women’s health.

Creative Writing & Production

As an author and filmmaker, I use creative writing to showcase marginalised and underrepresented ideas such as women’s sexual and reproductive health and children’s stories in indigenous languages.

Research

My research projects are centered on showcasing and documenting the realities of African communities with a view of eventual community and African ownership. I believe in producing decolonised knowledges to challenge dominant knowledges and systems.

Educational Leadership

By working on committees and boards that direct educational institutions, I am passionate about designing educational institutions that transform the learning experience and committed to effective operations and governance.

Panel Moderation for Early Career Women Scholar's Workshop in 2023

A Selection of my Children's Books in English and Ghanaian languages

Poster for a Film on Women's Health I Wrote & Co-Produced