dr.decolonial also known as Kojo Damptey is a multifaceted musician (Kojo Easy Damptey), educator, and interdisciplinary scholar-practitioner dedicated to fostering a world free from injustices based on identity, race, gender, and other social divisions. With a profound commitment to anti-oppressive frameworks and a Pan-Africanist worldview, Kojo’s work spans across various domains, including communication, music, African culture, African politics, international development, and social movements.

He holds a B.Eng in Chemical Engineering (McMaster University) and an M.A in Interdisciplinary Studies (Royal Roads University). As a decolonial advocate, Kojo integrates his academic insights with his artistic talents to challenge and dismantle systemic oppression. Through his music and educational endeavours, he strives to promote a more just and equitable society, drawing from his rich cultural heritage and comprehensive understanding of global socio-political dynamics. This is evident in his PhD research project “Black Epistemologies for Solidarity, Reciprocity, and Action for a Decolonial World”- a multimodal project to theorize/highlight/explore and document how African/Black civic and political leaders in Canada are addressing anti-Black/African racism.

His academic work revolves around the broad discipline of African Studies, particularly around governance, African Indigenous Knowledge Systems and politics in Africa. He approaches his work using theoretical frameworks of decolonization and Afrocentricity.

His scholarly work and writing examine African Indigenous Knowledge Systems in art, music, and governance as emergent forms of political independence for the continent of Africa. By exploring how African Indigenous Knowledge Systems can provide a response to colonialism and neoliberal capitalism under globalization, dr.decolonial's research pursues new discourses against Neocolonialism. His thesis “Rethinking the role of Indigenous governance practices in contemporary governance in Africa : the case of Ghana” focused on the nature and to what extent indigenous culture influences governing practices in contemporary Africa specifically Ghana. He is currently teaching at McMaster University (African & Black Diaspora Studies.)

dr.decolonial (Kojo Damptey) has always created tangible actions in response to a lack of representation of Black Indigenous People of Color in the arts. In 2014 he founded Renaissance Music in Hamilton, Ontario. Renaissance Music was created to provide an space for emerging and established BIPOC artists to showcase their work and celebrate African & African Diaspora culture.

In 2016 he joined forces with other BIPOC artists in Hamilton, Ontario to form the Coalition of Black and Racialized Artists (COBRA). The Coalition Of Black And Racialized Artists (COBRA) aims to address the under-representation of BIPOC artists, both at the grassroots and administrative levels in the Hamilton arts scene.

dr.decolonial (Kojo Easy Damptey) is an accomplished musician who has released three full-length albums (Daylight Robbery (2015), Giants: Stories of Existence, Resilience, & Resistance (2018), & Radical Thoughts (2023)). In 2015 his debut album “Daylight Robbery” won the Pop album of the year at the Hamilton Music Awards. He continues to tour across the world with his 7 piece band.