In order to empower and inform children and young people about their identity and cultural history, Accra’s mayor, Elizabeth Kwatsoe Sackey, has urged parents, educators, and stakeholders in the creative arts industry to support books authored by Ghanaian authors and natives.
“The children, we are seeking to empower must be taught our identity through books. I am therefore calling on parents and educators to patronize books written by Ghanaian authors,” she said.
The first female Mayor of Accra said this on Tuesday at a press briefing ahead of the official launch of the Accra World Book Capital slated for April 24, under the theme: “Reading to connect minds for social transformation.”
The yearlong programme with the slogan: “Akwaaba, let’s read” which is expected to end on 22nd April 2024, entails a series of activities such as marathon reading sessions, spelling bees, quizzes, reading and creative-writing competitions, capacity-building workshops, and many more.
Following examination by the World Book Capital Advisory Committee from UNESCO, the City of Accra was chosen as the World Book Capital 2023 on September 22, 2021, at its 215th session in Paris, France.
In order to fulfil the national aim of Ghana being a learning nation, Mayor Sackey stated that the event would inspire a love of reading and have a beneficial impact on Ghanaian society. As a result, it was necessary to incorporate elements of Ghana’s oral culture into written works in order to combat illiteracy and promote development.
The AMA leader reaffirmed the Assembly’s commitment to assisting UNESCO in advancing its goals to guarantee that all facets of society can exercise and express their cultural rights.
She used the opportunity to commend key stakeholders: the Ministry of Education, UNESCO, agencies and committees responsible for achieving the title of this prestigious programme.
“The Government of Ghana believes in this vision and also recognizes the need to address barriers to equity and inclusivity in all aspects. In education, through making secondary education free, provision of more schools, STEM centers across the country, development of Adaptech curricula at all levels and improving the quality of teachers and the teaching profession and all efforts by the government to guarantee a just and sustainable society,” he said.
He pointed out that the national cultural festival had advanced literacy development in the field of culture through drama, poetry readings, drum language, dance, and choral music, adding that this was crucial to the objectives of Accra World Book Capital and provided students with the opportunities to use a variety of representations for successful communication.
He urged all participants in the book and creative arts industries to assist the battle against illiteracy in order to instill a culture of reading and writing among children and young people and to close the industry’s skills gap while creating literate, passionate readers.
