About

Emma-Lee Amponsah holds a BA in Religious Studies (VU University Amsterdam), a MA in gender and diversity studies (Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Ghent University), and a PhD in media and communication studies (Ghent University). Her earliest research dealt with the potentiality of Indigenous spiritual belief systems in today’s quest for biodiversity preservation and climate justice in Ghana. Over the years, her research interests have shifted toward questions of Blackness, memory, and discourse in media and culture.

Amponsah has over ten years of experience leading socially engaged projects at the intersection of media, culture and social justice work. As a founding member of the media and arts collective Black Speaks Back, she has been involved in various projects on Blackness and belonging in Belgium and The Netherlands. She produced the world’s first Afrofuturistic musical EUPHORIA (2018, dir. Robert-Jonathan Koeyers) and directed several experimental research-based short films among which the award-winning Zwarte Ibis (Black Ibis, 2024).

Her creative work, writing, and research have appeared in academic journals, media, magazines, and have been showcased across film festivals and conferences, including Feminist Media Studies, African Diaspora, European Journal of Cultural Studies, Tijdschrift voor Genderstudies, De Standaard, De Groene Amsterdammer, Knack, OneWorld, Rekto:Verso, History Workshop, the Pan-African Film and Arts Festival, Argos, and IAMCR. She has made appearances on various stages, including BOZAR, Beursschouwburg, Felix Meritis, Pakhuis de Zwijger, KNAW, Vier Nul Vier, Maaspodium, Brakke Grond, Pianofabriek and more.