Oku Ampofo (4 November 1908 – 1998) was a

Ghanaian The Ghanaian people are a nation originating in the Gold Coast (region), Ghanaian Gold Coast. Ghanaians predominantly inhabit the Republic of Ghana and are the predominant cultural group and residents of Ghana, numbering 34 million people as of ...

sculptor and medical doctor. He became the first Ghanaian to receive a government scholarship to study medicine.

Early life

Oku Ampofo was born in Amanase in

Akuapem Akuapem may refer to: * Akuapem people, an ethnic group of Ghana * Akuapem dialect, their language * Akuapem Kingdom Akropong is a town in South Ghana and is the capital of the Akuapim North District, a district in the Eastern Region of South ...

, Gold Coast. He studied medicine in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

, Scotland, at the university and Royal College of Edinburgh and Glasgow between 1933 and 1939. In 1939 he obtained his medical degree.

Career

In 1950, he began to specialize in the use of medical herbs and exotic medicines. He is to be considered a pioneer in the use of

phytotherapy Herbal medicine (also called herbalism, phytomedicine or phytotherapy) is the study of pharmacognosy and the use of medicinal plants, which are a basis of traditional medicine. Scientific evidence for the effectiveness of many herbal treatments ...

. He founded the Center for Scientific Research in Natural Medicine. Ampofo was also an actor and sculptor. He began sculpting during his medical studies in Edinburgh, but later achieved national and international fame. Of particular note is his association the Oku Ampofo foundation which supports community development projects for the people of Ghana and in particular the city of Mampong Akuapem, where for many years he practised medicine. The Foundation supports research on herbal medicines needed to treat critical diseases in Ghana, West Africa and around the world. Ampofo died in 1998

Artistic practice

Oku performed hardwood and multi-colored work or concrete. His theoretical and imaginary corpus draws inspiration from the cultural and socio-religious aspects of the Ghanaian way of life.

Exhibitions

He exhibited in Senegal, Nigeria, England, the United States, Israel, Brazil and Romania. His work influenced Ghanaian artists, painters, sculptors and potters. He participated in the important Tendances et Confrontations exhibition organized during the

Festival Mondial des Arts Nègres The World Festival of Black Arts (French: ''Festival Mondial des Arts Nègres''), also known as FESMAN or FMAN, has been a series of month-long culture and arts festivals taking place in various parts of Africa. The festival features participant ...

Dakar Dakar ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The Departments of Senegal, department of Dakar has a population of 1,278,469, and the population of the Dakar metropolitan area was at 4.0 mill ...

in 1966.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ampofo, Oku 1908 births 1998 deaths 20th-century Ghanaian male artists 20th-century Ghanaian sculptors 20th-century physicians Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Ghanaian male sculptors Ghanaian medical doctors Herbalists People from Eastern Region (Ghana)