5 KOFI AGORSAH, professor emeritus of black studies and international studies, died in Ghana on August 3, 2022, at the age of 78. Professor Agorsah, who served as chair of the Department of Black Studies, received a bachelor’s degree in 1971 and a master’s degree in African archaeology in 1976 from the University of Ghana. In 1983 he completed a Ph.D. in archaeology at the University of California, Los Angeles. According to a remembrance written by Candice Goucher, a colleague of Professor Agorsah at Portland State, published on the website of The International Association for Caribbean Archaeology, he first worked as a tutor and teacher in geography at a teacher training college in Ghana in the 1960s. Professor Agorsah’s early experience in archaeology came in the 1970s when he became a research assistant to Bernard Golden of the British Institute during the excavation of Fort Orange in Sekondi, Ghana. “Kofi was quick to appreciate the role of the archaeological record in rewriting the history of the new nation-state of Ghana,” Professor Goucher wrote. In 1976 Professor Agorsah completed his M.A. on the archaeology and oral traditions of the Begho area, working with Professor Merrick Posnansky, who later moved to the University of California, Los Angeles, taking Professor Agorsah with him as a graduate research assistant. After completing his Ph.D., he became senior lecturer in the Department of Archaeology and curator-in-charge of the Museum of Archaeology at the University of Ghana. In 1987 he joined In memoriam: Kofi Agorsah, 1944-2022 the University of the West Indies, Mona, teaching and developing archaeological training programs. After joining Portland State in 1992, Professor Agorsah’s teaching, consulting, and research projects took him to West Africa, South America, Mauritius, Brazil, Suriname, and many other parts of the world. His scholarship includes classic works in the fields of Maroon heritage studies; African cultural adaptation and resistance studies; dozens of book chapters; edited, co-edited, and single-authored books; and peer-reviewed articles. Professor Agorsah worked for many institutions and organizations, including the African Burial Ground Project of New York; The International Association for Caribbean Archaeology; the African Caribbean Institute of Jamaica; Jamaica National Heritage Trust; the Caribbean Studies Overseas Program of Portland State University; Earthwatch Institute; National Geographic Society; and the National Science Foundation. He was a visiting professor at the University of Cape Town (2000) and Fulbright Senior Scholar at the University of Cape Coast (2007-2008). “His stories from the field mesmerized and inspired many students and colleagues alike,” wrote Professor Goucher. “Kofi was a generous collaborator, a brilliant and hardworking scholar, and a kind and humble human being.” Professor Agorsah is survived by his wife, Monica; sons Patrick and Delali; daughter Yaavic (Victoria); son Maxwell; five grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. RED POSSE—About 40 members of RAPS gathered at Augustana Lutheran Church in Northeast Portland on December 8 for the RAPS Annual Holiday Brunch. The annual gathering included a variety of food, drinks, and . . . this group of RAPSters, who seemingly agreed beforehand to celebrate the event by donning red apparel, which made the event even more merry and bright. RAPS SHEET n JANUARY 2023 Larry Sawyer photograph
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