The intersections between arts, creativity and health are of significant importance in the humanities and social sciences. Within the arts and health field, for example, the arts have been applied to communicate health crises (such as pandemics), improve psychotherapies for chronic health conditions and deepen engagement in participatory health projects. However, concepts and methods are predominantly informed by Global North research, and critical insights from arts traditions elsewhere remain to be fully integrated into common models.

Ghana offers a unique case study for examining local and global dynamics in arts-based health communication, because of the country’s rich art traditions as well as its place in global history and in the global imagination. Creative arts drive social life and indigenous healing systems. Healing art forms like music and sculpture have evolved through intentional cross-cultural borrowings, as well as through changes imposed through slavery, colonialism and post-colonial political systems.

Selling Healing tells a polyvocal story of how Ghanaian art forms intersect with health, illness and healing, makes an interdisciplinary case for incorporating arts and social creativity into official health promotion, and invites a re-imagining of health communication in global health.