Entertainment
Che Che Kule: How a Meaningless Ghanaian Chant Became a Global Classroom Tool
For generations, Kyekye Kule was simply a playful Ghanaian children’s chant — a rhythmic game passed from one generation to another without a fixed dictionary meaning.
Today, however, the chant has travelled far beyond Ghana. It has become a teaching resource in classrooms in parts of Africa, Britain and the United States, where teachers use it to help children learn body parts, rhythm, coordination, call-and-response and aspects of African culture.
The journey of Che Che Kule, as it is now commonly written, offers an unusual lesson in how oral traditions can change as they cross cultures: something that began as a meaningless playground chant has acquired a practical educational purpose thousands of miles from where it was played.
From Ghanaian playgrounds to classrooms
The traditional form of the chant is commonly rendered in Ghanaian oral tradition as:
“Kyekye Kule, Kyekye Kofisa, Kofisa Langa, Lala Kyi Langa, Kum Alele.”
Over time, however, different spellings and pronunciations have emerged, including:
“Cheche Kule, Cheche Kofisa, Kofisa Langa, Langa ti Langa, Kum Adende.”
In some foreign classrooms, it is further rendered as:
“Che Che Kule, Che Che Kofi sa, Kofi sa Langa, Langa ti Langa, Kum Abele.”
The differences are not surprising. Unlike written songs with an identifiable composer and official lyrics, the chant belongs to an oral tradition. It was transmitted by hearing, repetition, movement and memory rather than through books.
For many older Ghanaians, the words were never understood as a sentence carrying a particular literal meaning.
The game was the point.
Children sang together, followed a rhythm and often passed an object, such as a stone, around a circle while responding to the leader. Its value was therefore found in participation, concentration, timing and togetherness rather than in translating each word.
The chant is often described in musical and educational literature as a call-and-response song, a structure deeply associated with Ghanaian and wider African musical traditions.
A song without a dictionary
One of the most interesting features of Kyekye Kule is the absence of a universally accepted literal translation.
There is no established Ghanaian dictionary definition that conclusively says “Kule” means head, “Langa” means waist or that each phrase corresponds to a particular body part.
Instead, many of the words are treated as vocables — sounds used primarily for their rhythm and musical function rather than for a literal lexical meaning.
That distinction became important when the song travelled outside Ghana.
The chant survived because it was remembered and performed. One generation taught another through sound and movement.
Its oral nature also explains why its spelling has become so inconsistent.
Osibisa takes Che Che Kule abroad
The chant’s international journey is often associated with Ghanaian Afro-rock group Osibisa, which helped expose Che Che Kule to audiences outside Ghana during the band’s influential international career.
Rather than attempting to provide a literal translation, the song was presented as a joyful Ghanaian children’s song.
Its rhythm made it particularly suitable for audiences unfamiliar with the original Ghanaian playground context.
The chant therefore began another stage of its life: moving from Ghanaian children’s games into international music and cultural education.
The classroom gives the chant a new meaning
The biggest transformation came when Che Che Kule entered multicultural and world-music programmes in schools outside Ghana.
Teachers needed songs that could introduce children to music and cultures from different parts of the world. The Ghanaian chant fitted the requirement because it was short, repetitive, rhythmic and easy for children to participate in.
But there was a challenge.
How could a teacher explain a song to children when the words themselves did not have a straightforward translation?
The solution was to attach movements and educational meanings to the different lines.
In some British teaching materials, the chant is presented through movements such as:
Che Che Kule — hands on the head
Che Che Kofisa — hands on the shoulders
Kofisa Langa — hands on the hips or waist
Langa ti Langa — hands on the knees
Kum Abele — hands on the toes
The precise wording and body parts vary between versions.
The important development is that a chant whose original words were not intended as a vocabulary lesson became a structured activity for teaching children about their bodies.
Britain turns it into a multicultural music lesson
British music education services have incorporated Che Che Kule into lessons designed around movement, rhythm, participation and world music.
One such teaching approach associated with the Westmorland and Furness Music Service presents the song as a movement exercise in which children follow instructions involving different parts of the body.
This turns the chant into more than a song.
It becomes a classroom activity that combines music, physical movement, memory and coordination.
A teacher can sing a line and demonstrate a movement while pupils repeat the line and imitate the action.
That simple structure makes it particularly useful for younger children.
Its popularity in American classrooms
The song has also found a home in American educational spaces.
Educational resources, including materials shared through platforms such as Teachers Pay Teachers, have described Che Che Kule as a Ghanaian or West African folk song accompanied by movements resembling the familiar Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes format.
Teachers can therefore use it to introduce children to:
body parts;
rhythm;
movement;
coordination;
call-and-response singing;
group participation;
African musical traditions; and
Ghanaian culture.
The chant’s simplicity is one of its greatest strengths.
Children do not need to understand the original linguistic background before they can participate.
They simply listen, repeat and move.
From playground chant to educational technology
In this sense, Che Che Kule has become an unlikely form of educational technology.
The original Ghanaian game already contained several elements that modern educators value.
It required children to:
Listen.
A child had to pay attention to the leader.
Wait.
The game required children to follow the rhythm and their turn.
Repeat.
The same sounds returned repeatedly, helping children remember the sequence.
Move.
The physical nature of the activity connected sound with action.
Participate.
Children were not passive listeners. They were part of the performance.
Belong.
The activity brought children together around a shared rhythm.
The original chant may not have contained a dictionary lesson, but the game itself contained a powerful social and developmental function.
The Ghanaian television connection
The chant also became familiar to another generation of Ghanaians through television.
In the early 1990s, Kyekyekule was used as the title and central feature of a children’s programme broadcast on GTV.
The programme was associated with George Laing, popularly known as Uncle George, who directed and produced the children’s show with his team.
For many Ghanaian children of that period, Kyekyekule was not something encountered in a foreign music textbook.
It was part of Saturday morning television.
Uncle George’s energetic presentation, children’s responses and memorable expressions such as “Kiddie booms and Kiddie babs” helped make the programme part of the childhood memories of many viewers.
His familiar call of Che Che Kule! and the children’s enthusiastic response turned the phrase into a television-era cultural reference.
Thus, the chant had already travelled through several forms:
traditional playground game → international music → children’s television → classroom resource → digital children’s content.
The arrival of YouTube and other digital platforms gave Che Che Kule another major boost.
From the mid-2010s onward, numerous children’s channels began producing versions of the song, often presenting it as an African or Ghanaian alternative to Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.
Some versions teach:
Che Che Kule — head
Che Che Kofisa — shoulders
Kofisa Langa — waist
Koko Shi Langa — knees
Kum Adende — toes or ankles
Again, the exact words and movements differ from one version to another.
That variation is one of the defining characteristics of the song’s modern international life.
A child in Ghana, Britain or the United States may therefore be singing substantially different lyrics while believing they are singing the same song.
Why does the spelling keep changing?
The spelling question is perhaps one of the most fascinating parts of the story.
Why do we see:
Kyekye Kule
Kye Kye Kule
Che Che Kule
Cheche Kule
and different versions of Kofisa, Langa, Kum Alele, Kum Abele and Kum Adende?
The answer lies largely in oral transmission.
When a song is written down by its original composer, the written version can establish an authoritative spelling.
But when a chant is passed from mouth to mouth, each listener interprets the sounds through his or her own language, accent and understanding.
A foreign teacher may write what they hear.
A Ghanaian child may pronounce it differently.
A publisher may simplify the spelling for children.
A YouTube creator may write another version after hearing it from someone else.
The process can continue indefinitely.
Consequently, there is no single universally accepted spelling that governs every version of the chant.
What Ghana created and what the world added
The story is not necessarily one of Ghana creating something and the West simply “stealing” or “changing” it.
It is more complicated.
Ghanaian communities preserved the chant as an oral children’s game.
Musicians helped introduce it to international audiences.
Educators then adapted it for their own classrooms.
Publishers packaged it into teaching resources.
Digital creators transformed it into children’s videos.
Each stage added something different.
The original remained rooted in play, rhythm and communal participation, while later versions gave the words an educational function.
That distinction is important.
The body-part meanings found in many modern versions should not automatically be presented as the original literal meaning of the Ghanaian chant.
Rather, they are educational interpretations or adaptations that have developed around the song.
A lesson about oral culture
The story of Che Che Kule also illustrates the vulnerability and resilience of oral traditions.
Written history leaves documents.
Oral history leaves memories.
When an oral song travels, its words can change. Its spelling can disappear. Its original context can become unclear.
But the song can also survive precisely because it is flexible.
A child does not need a book to learn it.
One child sings.
Another listens.
The second child remembers.
Years later, that child teaches another generation.
That is how a chant can survive for decades without a definitive written manuscript.
Calling Kyekye Kule meaningless therefore requires some qualification.
The individual syllables may not possess the literal meanings later assigned to them.
But the chant itself was never meaningless.
It had a social meaning.
It brought children together.
It created rhythm and order.
It encouraged participation.
It developed attention and memory.
It created moments of collective joy.
Its meaning was therefore not necessarily contained in the words.
Its meaning was contained in what people did with the words.
That distinction may explain why the chant survived long enough to travel around the world.
From Ghanaian compounds to global classrooms
Today, a Ghanaian child may hear Che Che Kule at home, while a child in Britain may encounter it during a multicultural music lesson, and a child in America may learn it through a YouTube classroom video.
They may all sing different versions.
They may even attach different meanings to the words.
Yet they are participating in the same remarkable journey.
What began as a simple Ghanaian children’s chant has become a tool for teaching music, movement, coordination, body awareness and cultural diversity.
And perhaps that is the most important lesson of all.
Not everything valuable begins with a dictionary definition.
Sometimes a community creates a sound simply because it is enjoyable to sing.
Generations preserve it because it is fun.
Musicians carry it across oceans.
Teachers discover that it can help children learn.
Publishers put it into textbooks.
And eventually, something that once seemed like nothing more than a playground chant becomes part of a global classroom.
For older Ghanaians who remember Kyekye Kule simply as a game, there is something almost poetic about watching the chant acquire a new life.
Before it became a lesson about heads, shoulders, waists, knees and toes, it was already teaching something less tangible: how to listen, follow a rhythm, wait for your turn, respond to another person and participate in a community.
The world may have found a new use for Che Che Kule.
But Ghana had already found its value long before the textbooks arrived.
South Korea has pledged US$4.5 million in support over five years to help Ghana preserve its historic forts and castles, strengthen heritage tourism and protect coastal heritage sites from the effects of climate change, Tourism Minister Abla Dzifa Gomashie has disclosed.
The support, according to the minister, will include technical expertise and equipment to help restore and protect the country’s historic monuments, many of which face increasing threats from rising sea levels, tidal waves, coastal erosion and other environmental challenges.
Speaking on efforts to reposition Ghana’s heritage tourism sector posted on the Facebook page of Aidoo Elizabeth, Ms Gomashie said the government was working with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and the National Commission of UNESCO of Korea to develop measures to safeguard the country’s forts and castles.
She explained that the collaboration was aimed at reversing the deterioration of Ghana’s historic sites and making them more attractive to visitors, particularly those from the African diaspora seeking to reconnect with their ancestral history.
The minister acknowledged that although Ghana’s historic forts and castles remain important destinations for heritage tourism, there is a need to improve the visitor experience and introduce additional attractions to sustain public interest.
She cited the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park as a leading destination in terms of visitor arrivals, noting that the government was exploring ways to strengthen other heritage sites, including Cape Coast Castle.
According to her, repeated visits to some historic sites may become less appealing when there are limited new experiences for tourists, despite the profound historical significance of the locations.
“The Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park now is the highest in terms of arrivals,” she said, explaining that the government was considering how to address possible visitor fatigue at Cape Coast Castle.
She noted that visits to the castle carry a deeper meaning for members of the African diaspora, many of whom travel to Ghana to reconnect with their heritage and learn more about the history of the transatlantic slave trade.
For such visitors, she explained, the experience is not necessarily about entertainment or elaborate activities but about reconnecting with their roots and understanding the historical experiences of their ancestors.
However, she maintained that more could be done to improve the presentation and preservation of the sites while maintaining their historical significance.
The government is therefore seeking to develop Ghana’s heritage tourism offerings in ways that preserve the authenticity of the monuments while providing visitors with more meaningful experiences.
Ms Gomashie said the government had been engaging UNESCO and the Korean National Commission for UNESCO, commonly referred to as KNCU, to explore ways of restoring and protecting the country’s forts and castles.
She explained that the initiative involves cooperation with Ghana’s National Commission for UNESCO, which she identified as being headed by Professor Damba, as well as UNESCO’s office in Ghana.
The minister said the partnerships were expected to contribute technical knowledge and other resources towards protecting Ghana’s historic properties.
She stressed that preserving the forts and castles was particularly important at a time when President John Dramani Mahama had placed emphasis on reparations and restitution.
According to her, Ghana must strengthen its heritage infrastructure to accommodate visitors interested in learning about slavery, the experiences of Africans during the transatlantic slave trade and the historical links between Ghana and the wider African diaspora.
The forts and castles are central to that effort because of their connection to the forced movement of Africans and the broader history of the transatlantic slave trade.
She argued that improving their condition and accessibility would help Ghana maintain its position as a destination for historical and cultural tourism.
The tourism minister identified climate change and global warming as major threats to Ghana’s coastline and the historic structures located along it.
She said the country’s coastal monuments were increasingly exposed to harsh weather conditions and environmental pressures, making restoration and long-term protection urgent.
Ms Gomashie, who is also the Member of Parliament for Ketu South, said her concerns extended beyond her constituency to the wider coastline and the national heritage resources situated along it.
She recalled the challenges faced by coastal communities affected by tidal waves, explaining that the same environmental pressures threatening communities also pose risks to historic sites and other valuable coastal assets.
She said South Korea’s proposed support would help provide the expertise and equipment needed to protect the forts and castles against these threats.
The minister emphasised that the preservation of the monuments was not only a tourism concern but also a national responsibility, given their historical, cultural and economic significance.
The five-year support programme is expected to contribute to efforts to safeguard these sites for future generations while strengthening their potential to attract international visitors.
Beyond the restoration of forts and castles, Ms Gomashie said Ghana was exploring opportunities to develop underwater heritage tourism along its coastline.
She explained that the country had ratified international conventions, including one concerning the protection of underwater cultural heritage.
According to her, the historical significance of Ghana’s coastline suggests that there may be submerged heritage resources, including shipwrecks, that could contribute to the country’s tourism offerings.
She said such resources should be identified, protected and managed responsibly to preserve their historical value.
The minister noted that underwater heritage could provide new opportunities for visitors interested in underwater sightseeing and the exploration of historical sites beneath the sea.
She clarified that the objective was not simply to excavate submerged resources but also to protect them and explore ways of making them accessible through appropriate tourism activities.
The development of underwater heritage tourism could therefore complement existing attractions along the coast and provide additional experiences for visitors interested in Ghana’s maritime history.
However, such efforts would require appropriate protection measures and technical expertise to ensure that underwater cultural resources are not damaged or exploited.
The proposed South Korean support forms part of broader efforts to preserve Ghana’s historical assets and improve the country’s appeal as a heritage tourism destination.
The forts and castles remain significant reminders of the transatlantic slave trade and the experiences of Africans who were held and transported through the coastal trading centres.
Their preservation is particularly relevant to Ghana’s engagement with members of the diaspora, including visitors seeking historical knowledge, ancestral connections and a deeper understanding of the country’s role in the slave trade.
By combining restoration, climate protection, international cooperation and the development of new tourism products, the government hopes to ensure that these sites continue to serve as important cultural and educational destinations.
The collaboration with South Korea and UNESCO is expected to support that objective over the five years, while efforts to explore underwater heritage tourism could broaden the range of experiences available to visitors.
For Ghana, the challenge will be to protect its historic monuments from environmental damage while ensuring that the sites remain relevant, accessible and attractive to future generations of tourists.
Ghanaian music legend Kojo Antwi has presented an autographed copy of his memoir, Mr Music Man: The Journey, to the United States Embassy in Accra following a meeting with the embassy’s Chargé d’Affaires, a.i., Rolf Olson.
The presentation took place during a visit by the celebrated musician to the embassy, where discussions centred on music, culture and the longstanding people-to-people relations between Ghana and the United States.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, the US Embassy highlighted the engagement, noting the role of music and cultural exchange in strengthening connections between the two countries.
The meeting underscored the importance of the creative arts in promoting cultural understanding and fostering relationships beyond geographical boundaries.
Kojo Antwi, popularly known as Mr Music Man, is one of Ghana’s most celebrated musicians, with a career spanning several decades. He has earned a lasting place in the country’s music industry through his distinctive sound and contributions to highlife and contemporary African music.
His extensive catalogue of songs has established him as an influential figure in Ghanaian music, earning him recognition across generations of music lovers.
His memoir, Mr Music Man: The Journey, reflects on his life, career and experiences in the music industry, offering readers an opportunity to learn more about the journey behind his enduring musical legacy.
The presentation of the signed memoir to the US Embassy adds another dimension to the musician’s engagements beyond the stage, bringing his personal story and contribution to Ghanaian music into discussions about cultural diplomacy and international relations.
The engagement also highlights how Ghanaian musicians can contribute to strengthening international connections through their work, personal stories and cultural influence.
The Ghana Music Rights Organisation (GHAMRO) has named 16 radio and television stations it recognises as complying with music royalty payment obligations out of more than 700 broadcasters operating across the country.
The recognition highlights broadcasters GHAMRO says are meeting their copyright obligations by paying royalties for the use of music in their programmes.
In a post on X on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, the organisation commended the stations for respecting copyright laws and supporting Ghana’s creative industry.
“We celebrate and appreciate our Top Complying 2026 Broadcasting Channels for leading by example, respecting copyright laws, and directly championing the Ghanaian creative economy,” GHAMRO stated.
The stations recognised for complying with music royalty payment obligations are:
Joy FM
Hitz FM
Asempa FM
Adom TV
Adom FM
Luv FM
Nhyira FM
Joy Prime
Sporty FM
Pent Radio
Pent TV
Citi FM
Channel One TV
PCG TV
Hope FM
Lucky TV
The announcement comes amid GHAMRO’s efforts to improve royalty collection and encourage broadcasters and other commercial users of music to comply with copyright requirements.
Music royalties compensate musicians, composers, songwriters and other rights holders when their works are used for broadcasting and other commercial purposes.
By publicly recognising compliant stations, GHAMRO hopes to encourage more broadcasters to meet their obligations and support the sustainable growth of Ghana’s music and creative industries.
There was a time when bedtime did not always mean going straight to sleep. For some Ghanaian children, it meant gathering around a grandmother, grandfather or another older relative who had a story to tell.
The storyteller did not need a television, a projector or an internet connection. Sometimes, all that was needed was a quiet evening, a group of curious children and a story that had been passed down through generations.
There were tales about clever animals, foolish kings, wicked neighbours, brave children and people whose decisions changed their lives. Some stories entertained. Others warned against greed, dishonesty, disrespect and selfishness.
Children listened, laughed, interrupted with questions and begged for another story when the first one ended.
Today, that familiar scene is less visible in many households. Children have access to cartoons, films, online videos, games and social media. Older relatives may live far away, while busy family schedules leave little time for extended storytelling.
But as entertainment changes, an important question remains: Are Ghanaian communities losing the tradition of telling stories that once helped children understand their world?
In many Ghanaian communities, storytelling was an informal way of teaching children about life.
A story about a dishonest person could explain why trust mattered. A tale about an arrogant character might show how pride could lead to trouble. Stories involving animals could reveal human weaknesses without directly accusing anyone.
The storyteller could use humour to communicate a serious message, allowing children to learn while enjoying themselves.
Some stories also explained cultural beliefs, community practices and relationships between people. They helped children understand why certain behaviours were encouraged, and others discouraged.
The lessons were not always presented as direct instructions. Instead, children were expected to think about what the characters did and what happened as a result.
That process made storytelling a form of informal education.
Ananse: The trickster who taught through his mistakes
One of the most recognisable figures in Akan oral tradition is Ananse, the spider character known for cleverness, mischief and trickery.
In many stories, Ananse tries to outsmart others, gain something for himself or escape a difficult situation through cunning.
Sometimes his plans succeed. At other times, his greed or overconfidence creates problems.
The character is memorable because he is not a perfect hero. He can be intelligent and foolish, resourceful and selfish, entertaining and frustrating.
Through Ananse stories, listeners encounter questions about greed, wisdom, fairness, responsibility and the consequences of one’s actions.
Ananse stories have also travelled beyond Ghana and become part of wider African and Caribbean storytelling traditions.
Yet preserving these stories requires more than remembering the character’s name. The language, humour, performance style and different versions of the tales are also part of the heritage.
Every community had its own stories
Ghana’s storytelling traditions are not limited to Ananse.
Different communities have their own folktales, legends, historical narratives, praise traditions and stories associated with particular places or families.
Some stories explain the origin of a community. Others recount the actions of respected leaders, ancestors or extraordinary individuals.
There are stories about animals, rivers, forests, farming, marriage, friendship and conflict.
The details vary across cultures, and a story may have several versions depending on who tells it.
This diversity is important. Ghana’s oral heritage cannot be reduced to one character or one collection of tales.
When stories are documented, it is valuable to record the language in which they were told, the community they come from and the person sharing them.
Otherwise, a story may survive while the cultural context that gives it meaning is forgotten.
The decline of traditional storytelling cannot be blamed on one cause. Changes in family life, technology, language use and daily routines have all affected how stories are shared.
Television, smartphones and online platforms provide entertainment at any hour.
A child can watch a cartoon, listen to an audiobook or view a video without waiting for an older relative to become available.
Digital entertainment is not necessarily harmful. It can introduce children to literature, languages and different cultures.
The challenge is that traditional storytelling is interactive. The listener can ask questions, challenge a character’s behaviour or request that the storyteller repeat a favourite part.
A recorded video cannot always reproduce the personal connection created when an older relative tells a story from memory.
Work, school, commuting and other responsibilities can make it difficult for families to spend long periods together.
In some households, several generations no longer live under the same roof. Grandparents may reside in another town or village, making regular contact less frequent.
This does not mean families have stopped caring about their traditions. It means the opportunities to pass on certain practices may be fewer.
When storytelling is no longer part of an ordinary evening, it may be remembered mainly during festivals, cultural events or school activities.
Language can also influence whether traditional stories survive.
Some folktales rely on proverbs, wordplay, local expressions and cultural references that are difficult to translate fully into another language.
When a story is told in a language the listener does not understand well, its humour and deeper meaning may be lost.
Children who are not comfortable speaking the language of their parents or grandparents may struggle to follow long stories told in that language.
This does not mean stories should only be told in one language. They can be translated and explained. However, preserving the original language alongside translations helps retain expressions and meanings that might otherwise disappear.
Traditional storytellers carry knowledge that may never have been written down.
Some know several versions of a tale. Others remember the songs, sayings or responses that accompanied a performance.
If nobody records or learns from them, their knowledge may disappear when they are no longer able to tell the stories.
A written summary may preserve the plot but fail to capture the storyteller’s voice, gestures, timing and interaction with the audience.
That is why audio and video recordings, community archives and interviews with older people can be valuable.
What happens when the storyteller disappears?
When a traditional story is lost, the immediate effect may appear small. Children can still read books, watch films and learn from their teachers.
But the loss can be deeper than the disappearance of a single tale.
A story may contain expressions from a local language, references to a community’s history or lessons about relationships that have been discussed for generations.
It may also preserve an older way of understanding the environment, social responsibility or human behaviour.
When stories are no longer shared, children can lose an opportunity to learn about their cultural heritage directly from the people who know it.
The concern is not that every traditional story contains a lesson that must be followed today. Some stories reflect beliefs or social expectations that deserve critical examination.
Preservation does not mean accepting everything uncritically. It means keeping the stories available so that people can understand, discuss and interpret them.
Can schools bring storytelling back?
Schools could play an important role by giving oral storytelling a place alongside reading and writing.
Teachers could invite community elders, writers, linguists and storytellers to share stories with pupils.
Students could record folktales told by their parents or grandparents, write down different versions and discuss the lessons or questions raised by each story.
Cultural programmes could also include storytelling competitions in Ghanaian languages, encouraging young people to develop confidence in oral performance.
These activities could support language learning, listening skills, creativity and an appreciation of cultural diversity.
The goal should not be to turn every story into a rigid classroom lesson. Children should also have the freedom to enjoy the suspense, humour and imagination that make storytelling appealing.
Technology may have contributed to changes in storytelling, but it can also help preserve the tradition.
Content creators could produce short videos of Ghanaian folktales, with narrators telling stories in their original languages and providing subtitles.
Radio stations, podcasts and online publishers could develop storytelling programmes featuring older narrators and younger performers.
Libraries, cultural institutions and community organisations could build digital collections of stories, songs and oral histories.
Care is needed to ensure that the people and communities who share these stories are properly acknowledged. Where a story belongs to a particular cultural tradition, its origins should not be erased simply to make it more marketable.
With thoughtful documentation, a story once told to a handful of children could reach audiences far beyond the community where it originated.
One reason storytelling may be neglected is the belief that it requires someone who knows many traditional tales or has a special gift for narration.
But families can begin with simple steps.
Parents can ask grandparents to share stories from their childhood. They can tell children about how their community changed, how their parents grew up or how a family tradition began.
Children can also be encouraged to create their own stories inspired by what they hear.
The important thing is to create opportunities for conversation and imagination.
A story does not have to be perfect to be meaningful. Sometimes, the memory of sitting beside a grandparent and listening carefully becomes just as important as the story itself.
Not every old story should remain unchanged
As Ghanaian society changes, traditional stories may also need to be reconsidered.
Some tales contain stereotypes or reflect historical attitudes that modern audiences may question. Others may have different meanings in different communities.
These differences should be discussed rather than hidden.
Storytelling can be preserved while allowing new generations to ask questions, develop new versions and explore different interpretations.
That is how a living tradition remains relevant: it carries the past into the present without preventing people from thinking critically about it.
Ghana has made room for modern entertainment, digital learning and international culture. There is no need to reject those developments to preserve oral traditions.
But if children grow up knowing fictional characters from around the world while remaining unfamiliar with the stories their grandparents grew up hearing, it is worth asking what opportunities have been missed.
The answer is not to blame young people for preferring cartoons or accuse parents of abandoning their culture.
The more useful response is to create opportunities for stories to be heard again—in homes, schools, libraries, on radio and through digital platforms.
Older people should be encouraged to share their knowledge, while younger people should be given the tools to record and reinterpret it.
Because a story that is never told cannot be questioned, enjoyed or passed on.
And perhaps the greatest danger is not that Ghana’s traditional storytellers will stop speaking, but that the next generation will no longer gather to listen.
Netflix is planning to eliminate approximately 1,000 jobs worldwide in its largest workforce reduction since 2022, as the streaming company adjusts its operations amid intensifying competition for viewers and growing pressure to sustain business growth.
The planned cuts represent roughly 6% of Netflix’s global workforce. According to reports published on October 14, 2026, the reductions will primarily affect employees in the company’s product, technology, legal and human resources departments. The announcement was communicated to staff in an internal memo from co-chief executives Greg Peters and Ted Sarandos.
The executives said the company intended to direct its people and resources towards areas considered most important to improving its service and supporting future growth. They also maintained that Netflix’s business remained strong and that the company was on track to meet its full-year financial forecast.
Competition puts pressure on streaming businesses
The restructuring comes as Netflix competes with established entertainment companies and digital platforms such as YouTube for audiences’ time and attention. The growing availability of free online video and alternative entertainment services has increased the pressure on subscription-based platforms to keep viewers engaged.
Netflix has also been exploring additional revenue opportunities, including advertising-supported subscriptions, live programming and gaming, as it seeks to broaden its business beyond traditional on-demand streaming. However, investors remain concerned about the company’s growth prospects and its ability to turn new initiatives into sustainable sources of expansion.
Biggest cuts since 2022
The latest reductions mark a significant workforce change for a company that had approximately 16,000 full-time employees at the end of 2025. In 2022, Netflix cut around 450 jobs after reporting a subscriber decline that raised questions about its growth trajectory.
Despite the planned layoffs, Netflix says it will continue investing in areas it believes can improve the platform and support innovation. The changes illustrate the difficult decisions facing major streaming services as they balance staffing costs, content investments, competition and expectations from shareholders.
The long-term impact of the restructuring will depend on whether Netflix can maintain its financial performance while keeping viewers engaged and developing new sources of revenue.
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