From archaeology to teaching, emceeing and stage acting: The story of Joseph Appah

Archaeology may not be one of the most sought after courses in University of Ghana but for young Joseph Appah, it was a choice of a program he gleefully made.

Speaking to Scribe News, the certified educator with over a decade teaching experience hinted, "I applied for BSc. Administration. My admission letter came in and and it read that I had missed University of Ghana Business School. I was given BA with the courses History, Study of Religions, Political Science and Classics. Classics was clashing with one other course so I went for a change and I was presented with Archaeology to replace it. Obviously, Archaeology wasn't a choice but it was what I majored in as my choice."

The headmaster of Start-Rite School at Dome emphasized, "Lessons in Arch 101 actually convinced me that Archaeology studies and research was multi-disciplinary ~ from the pure sciences to arts. That was the appeal. Early discussions revealed that Archaeology was research-intensive. It was highly analytical as students were taught how to analyze artefacts and ecofacts to tell stories of past cultures."

These among other reasons pressed on Joseph Appah to choose Archaeology as a major right from Level 100. Also, knowing that there were only a few students majoring in the course due to the many misconceptions made him realize that a lot of opportunities abounded in the field.

In 2009, Joseph Appah graduated with a BA in Archaeology and Political Science from University of Ghana. However, today, he is known as a versatile actor, passionate teacher, smooth-spoken MC and budding entrepreneur. What changed?

"I had always had the passion to teach. That is the main reason I decided to do my national service at the Archaeology Department, assisting students to understand the lectures through tutorials. Right after, I applied to many schools and I finally settled at Start Rite School. Through hardwork, I made a steady rise to the position of headmaster."

He continued, "Today, I run an educational consultancy firm, TreasureHunt Education, which aims at deepening quality and creative education in Africa. Among our services is providing reading solutions to people (especially children) with reading difficulty. I believe most of the educational methodologies being practised today in our educational institutions are outdated and must be changed to reflect the need for education ~ bringing out and refining the potentials of individuals."

Talking about his rich profile as a voiceover artist, he narrated, "My talkative curiosity led me into voiceover works. I have worked for the NCCE in their tax education project with UKAID and GIZ (2017)."

Based on his radio experience from Radio Univers and Oxzy FM, the PGDE graduate of University of Education, Winneba teaches some courses at a media school (Creative Media Institute).

The multi-faceted Joseph Appah's journey into the MC business also started on the University of Ghana campus in 2018.

"I moderated a couple of seminars and dinners for some groups. After school, I decided to emcee wedding receptions. So, I made my extended family and friends aware. They gave me the opportunity. In 2015, I was able to make some money through emceeing. That was the beginning of my paid MC job."

He has been featured as a stage actor in Kobina Ansah's stage plays at the E.T.S Drama Studio and National Theatre. Notable among such are This Family Is Not For Sale and The Boy Called A Girl. He has also done some voiceovers for the playwright's production house.



Joseph Appah's personal philosophy reads, "It is the duty and responsibility of the world's fortunate few to help fulfill the legitimate aspirations of the unfortunate many." This is what drives him always to want to share the knowledge he has to make the world a heaven.

For his last words, the Archaeology graduate had this to say, "On the whole, I want to thank my proprietress, Mrs Grace Aburah, for believing in me to grant me the opportunity to serve as head of school. Many thanks to Eva-Maria Froidevaux (my Swiss mum) without whose encouragement and financial support, my professional development wouldn't have been possible."