The Vice-President of Ghana, Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, has commended the Pan African Writers Association (PAWA) for its commitment to the spirit of Pan Africanism through its literary and cultural activities.
Opoku-Agyemang, a Professor of Literature and former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast, South Africa, also thanked the continental literary organisation for its support to children’s and women literature.
The remarks were made when a PAWA delegation led by the Secretary General, Dr Wale Okediran, paid a courtesy visit to the Vice-President at her Jubilee House, Accra, office on Tuesday.
While reiterating the continued support of the Ghana government to PAWA, Opoku-Agyemang admonished African writers not to limit their narratives to negative stories alone but should include positive news to provide a balanced view of reality.
The Vice-President asserted that by sharing stories of resilience, hope and triumph, positive news can inspire action and promote a more compassionate and informed society.
In his remarks, the PAWA Secretary General thanked the Vice-President for agreeing to the courtesy visit despite her busy schedule.
He said: “We are particularly proud of your achievements, especially in your different areas of advocacy for children and women which are in tandem with some of PAWA’s objectives.”
The PAWA scribe observed that his association has been incorporating storytelling to interrogate some important societal ills such as female genital mutilation, child abuse as well as gender based violence, among others.
He said: “In the past few years, we have organised workshops and literary competitions for our members in the 54 African countries on the use of poetry, fiction as well as children’s stories to educate the African populace on various societal vices.
“This was done because of our belief that such important messages, when delivered in the form of stories, are better appreciated by both the young and the old.”
A poem written in honour of the Vice-President, titled, “NJOA”, was rendered during the visit by its author, Oswald Okaitei, an award-winning Ghananian poet and current Organising Secretary of the Ghana Association of Writers (GAW).
On the PAWA delegation were writers, PAWA staff and some of the association’s partners.
