One Ghana, One Voice

Ananse's Grave - Kae Sun

roblucastaylor@gmail.com (Rob Taylor) — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 00:15:00 +0000

We hated here and now,
we wasted space for some gold rush.
If told to trade we would for the emptiness
that was born of the earth's touch.

We created here and now
and never was a sound so loosely sung,
heard across the latitudes of whatever laid in our way.

Meanwhile beneath those bridges, through rustling leaves,
the spider and his stories weave.
Tales grow as tall as a warrior's bloodline,
as tight knit as the women's patterns.
Our children have been to Ananse's grave
surprised to find the prince of cunning so depraved.
"Take the words off our hearts," they said.
Well today even those words are dead.

"Ananse's Grave" is part two of our four-part series of poems on Ananse stories. Previous installments can be found in our archives. Check back next week for the next installment.

Author Profile - Kae Sun

roblucastaylor@gmail.com (Rob Taylor) — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 00:06:00 +0000

Biography:

Kwaku Darko-Mensah Jr. (aka. Kae Sun) is a Ghanaian born singer, songwriter and poet. He is currently based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He has recieved a B.A. from McMaster University in Multimedia and Philosophy.

Five Questions with Kae Sun:

1. What role have Ananse stories played in your life?

I heard a fair bit of Ananse tales growing up; they definitely triggered my imagination. What makes them special is that each story has a strong moral lesson. This poem is inspired by the fact that I can't for the life of me remember any of the stories and the sad fact that those morals and stories can so easily slip away.

2. What has using the trope of Ananse stories allowed you to explore in your writing that you otherwise could not?

They haven’t influenced my writing yet. I’m on a journey of rediscovery. For me, the stories are most potent when narrated in Twi. That’s the way I first heard them so I’m yearning for that experience. Maybe that’s the point, you hear them as a child and if you don’t memorize and re-tell them they slip away.

3. There are so many potent lines in this poem, it's hard to pick just one to explore. Still, the one that stands out the most for me is 'If told to trade we would for the emptiness / that was born of the earth's touch'. Could you discuss this line a bit more? What inspired you to write it, what you hope for readers to take away from it?

The earth’s touch is comforting and restorative. The irony here is that when we trade all that’s given to us naturally then the earth itself cannot console us. That’s my interpretation of it off course; I encourage readers to find their own meaning in that line. It definitely addresses the consequences of giving up ones right, whether it's land or tradition.

4. In your last profile, you mentioned the role the Wole Soyinka edited Poems of Black Africa collection has on your development as a writer. Do you think that the creation of such a seminal book for the new generation of African writers is possible? Do you think it could find an audience?

I think it’s not only possible, but long overdue. I’ve come across folks, some university professors, who can’t name a single African poet. That’s sad given the richness and diversity of African poetry.

5. Here on OGOV, readers have gotten to know your poetry, but not your musical pursuits - would you like to take a moment to tell readers about this part of your life, and perhaps discuss the connection between your poetry and song?

I have an EP out currently and I play regularly in Canada. The music itself draws from a vast array of influences from folk music to hip-hop. My song writing and poetry go hand in hand, they compliment each other and address the same themes. I’m working on a full length album now which is definitely more rootsy and stripped down.

Contact Kae Sun:

Email: kaydimes(at)hotmail.com
Websites: www.kaesunmusic.com, www.myspace.com/kaesun

We Speak of Kweku Ananse - Prince Mensah

roblucastaylor@gmail.com (Rob Taylor) — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 01:18:00 +0000

Ananse sem se so, se so’ara;
Se wonnim Anansesem a,
Na ese wo’ara.[i]

In lands of the four-legged,
The eight-legged was sage
At whose feet life begged
For a decent wage.
In universe of web and wit,
Ananse dwelt and dealt with
His wife, Aso and son, Ntikuma.
Their lives were built on drama.
We humans still sit by firesides
To discuss their escapades.

Our lives are explained by eight legs
And the one that moves them
Around the world of animals.
Kweku Ananse, he who eggs
Beasts onto mayhem.
Jackasses and jackals
Knew him as the Jekyll
While others knew his Hyde.
Deception was his thrill,
Its success was his pride.

In the time of timelessness
When animals talked with men,
Kweku roamed from village to village
Seeking fools to deceive.
His circumventive business
Gave others harsh lessons to learn,
Earning spite in story and adage.
Winds blew strong, Ananse held on
To strings of his web,
Determined to live by con,
Dwelling on wisdom’s ebb.

He watched his true believers
Gouge upon his guile
He winked at them in their stupor
Telling them how smart they were.
None had developed feelers
To discern falsehood’s bile;
They regarded him with great honor
More than the lion in his lair.
Even men came to him for advice
And they were given enough to suffice.

Kweku met his match in Entetia the Ant.
Both were smart, small and scheming.
While the Ant knew how to work for a living,
Ananse loved to have others work for him.
Soon, clouds of trickery wore thin
And the animals grew to love the Ant.
He made them rich through working
While Ananse stole their earnings
By claims of gratitude owed to him
In a scheme selfish and mean.

They found him out on bright day
Through the accursed triplets;
Eti konokono the Big Head,
Efu dontwe-dontwe the Big Stomach
And Enan kon’wia the Skinny Legs.
They heard him hatch a new plan:
He wanted to steal and run away
With treasures of golden bowls, trinkets
And ornaments on the dead.
The triplets launched an attack
On Ananse but his eight legs
Got swift and he ran

Out of the kingdom as shame
Rained on his name.
His infamy was immortalized by verb,
Spun into native proverb:
If Ananse asks you to look to the sky,
Fix your eyes on the earth;
If he asks you to watch the earth,
Look hard into the sky.
The earth is yet to acknowledge receipt
Of another whose name is deceit.

Se hum ne ham shia na mmrika asa,
Ato konkonsa ne akasa akasa.
Gyimie nye, etese kaka.[ii]

[i] Ananse’s story is being told, let it be told;
If you know not Ananse,
That’s your problem.

[ii] If speed and wind meet, that will be the end of sprinting,
All a gossip does is talk and talk and talk.
Foolish is not good, it is like a mouth sore.

"We Speak of Kweku Ananse" is part one of our four-part series of poems on Ananse stories. Check back next week for the next installment.

Author Profile - Prince Mensah

roblucastaylor@gmail.com (Rob Taylor) — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 00:44:00 +0000

Biography:

Born a Leo in Accra, Ghana, Prince Mensah attended school at Adisadel College, Extra Mural Academy, African-American HIV University and Mediation Training Institute. He is a poet and playwright who emphasizes on the authenticity of the African experience as a parallel of Western civilization. His inspirations are Jesus Christ, Wole Soyinka, William Shakepeare, Abraham Lincoln, Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama. Prince is a Consultant in Workplace Mediation and is presently working as a Life & Health Insurance Producer. He is married to Charisse and the couple lives in Maryland, USA. Two of his books, Seven Steps to Amazing Love and Memoirs of A Native Son are slated to be in bookstores worldwide by the end of October 2008.

Prince is the head of North American promotions for One Ghana, One Voice.

Five questions with Prince Mensah:

1. What role have Ananse stories played in your life? How have they shaped your writing?

Ananse stories were all that I heard from my parents, uncles and aunts. It was their way of advising and admonishing me. There is a saying in Asante that goes, ‘Oba nyansafuo ye bu nu be, yenkano asem’ which means, 'You speak to a wise child with proverbs, not with speeches.' This has shaped my writing in a manner that I want my readers to reach their own conclusions. I do not want my subject matter to be overtly obvious. There has to be a healthy level of mystique to it.

2. What has the subject of "Ananse stories" allowed you to explore in your writing that you otherwise could not?

I used to write a lot of folklore before I moved to the USA. This project gave me a chance to revitalize that part of my writing. Ananse stories are part and parcel of Akan oral tradition. It is a pity that our children read fairytales in nursery and kindergarten when we can introduce them to Ananse stories or any other folklore unique to our specific cultures.

3. This poem has some really great lines which the tongue just rolls along with, such as "Ananse dwelt and dealt with". This seems to fit well with the subject of the smooth-talking Ananse. How conscious are you of the alignment of the rhythm of your poem with the rhythm of its subject? Does this just come naturally to you?

I did not realize that until you brought it up. I was in the moment of retelling a story and I am excited that I conveyed a sense of Ananse’s character. I try to emphatize with whatever subject I am writing about. I want to see the world from their eyes. As a poet, attention has to be paid to word sounds and sentence flow. I try to do that every time.

4. As demonstrated in your last poem on this site, you have begun setting your poems to images and releasing them as videos on Youtube. How has this experience been for you? What do you think the videos add to the poems for your readers/viewers?

Technology is the sign of the times. As poets, we must take advantage of the internet as the main medium of reaching our readers. You will be able to turn your readers into listeners, which is a step further in the poet-reader relationship. I have used YouTube and Sound Lantern to resounding success. I think because my audience is not sitting right in front of me, the video puts them in the mood and perspective of the poem. Although it is impossible to inject a cinematic aura into a poem of three minutes, it helps the audience talk about the subject after the poem ends.

5. Are you working on any new poems or projects that you think our readers might be interested in?

Two books of mine are going to be in print by the end of October 2008. Seven Steps to Amazing Love by Xulon Press and Memoirs of a Native Son by Publish America. Go get them from Amazon or Barnes & Noble. I am preparing some poems for the Yaa Asantewaa and Zimbabwe series. I am working with the Wine Glass Court Poets in Columbia, Maryland to read poetry in parks this fall. I am hoping that we can arrange for a Conference on Black Poetry in North America next year.

Contact Prince:

Email: pryncemensah(at)yahoo.com
Website: http://www.freewebs.com/pryncemensah/

Dry Season in Eremon - Edith Faalong

roblucastaylor@gmail.com (Rob Taylor) — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 05:30:00 +0000

I have seen the dry season in Eremon.
The shea and dadawa trees: long, bare,
yet weighed, sacred, weary...

sighing from the secrets they carry,
secrets of want, need,
of several comings and goings.

Of bone deep chill and merciless cold
drifting through the few trees -
over lost rocks, rare bits of green,
over an earth blackened by fires
still crackling in the distance,
the sun shining with a vengeance
pushed on by our ignorance.

Cracked feet of mothers roam the dry earth
gathering wood, minding homes
infant noses bleed, lips crack.
Toughened hands beat the shea in processing.

Men sit under trees
empty pots of pito.

Half full calabashes to their lips,
heady scent of tobacco in the air,
their chatter getting louder.

Oh, I have seen the dry season.

Author Profile - Edith Faalong

roblucastaylor@gmail.com (Rob Taylor) — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 05:23:00 +0000

Biography:

Edith N. Faalong was born on January 12th, 1986 to Mr. Joseph Y Faalong and Madame Hellen Tanye in the Upper West Region of Ghana. She currently lives in Accra, reading economics and geography as a third-year student at the University of Ghana.

Five Questions with Edith Faalong:

1. When you are writing a poem, do you think about an audience? If so, what is that audience? Ghanaian? International?

I do think about an audience in my writing. I assume an international audience and that's the reason why I try to be very vivid with the imagery. Because it's most probable that seventy percent of the audience have never seen or had first hand experience with what I am putting out yet, I want to make sure they feel it, know it, hear it, the same way I did.

2. Your descriptions of landscape and people in this poem are very vivid. Do you write only from memory at home, or do you sometimes go out and write in the community, recording what you actually see in real time?

I mainly write from memory, from streams of thought or consciousness, but with this particular poem I was in a moving vehicle on my way back from my village and the landscape and immediate past interaction with my people started to speak to me. I had to capture it but I also thought to infuse the life, culture, character and very presence of these people. So i wrote it in real time. I should also add that real time helps me a lot because it serves to trigger all the streams of thought.

3. You moderated our last roundtable discussion. How did you find this process? Beyond these roundtables, how do you think, going forward, Ghanaian writers can better engage in discussions or craft and issues related to poetry?

Moderating the last roundtable was an enlightening experience for me. I got to personally tap the minds of very intelligent women. I enjoyed every moment. Going forward, writers are very passionate. They do not need much external motivation. The need to make a positive change is always alive. We will do well to form local groups, learn from the writers around us and keep the spirit.

4. In the last roundtable, you noted that "I however think that Ghanaian writing has been historically male dominated because, in earlier years, the African writer was reacting to strong and sometimes violent social issues which our women were not encouraged to meddle in." Considering that many more women are writing now, would you say that this is because women are now more encouraged to be involved with strong social issues, or because the subject matter tackled by African poets has expanded to include more traditional "female spheres"? Perhaps both, or something else?

I will say there hasn't been much to encourage women. There has been expansion on the subject area, yes. This has however been nothing I will call "traditional female spheres". I will say though that the present female presence in literature has everything to do with simple female determination, enlightenment and a growing awareness of true potential.

5. Are you working on any new projects or poems that our readers may be interested in?

I am working on a few writings. The most recent poem I wrote was for my mother. It's very deep but most of what it says has double meanings which only my family will understand. It's not for publication but this audience will hear from me again soon.

Contact Edith:

edithfaalong(at)hotmail.com

Degenerated Past - Nana Yeboaa

roblucastaylor@gmail.com (Rob Taylor) — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 00:06:00 +0000

When you get to Russia
Go to Paa Willie junction
In the evening it is a maze of humans
Poor at the least

Jotex Park, there I resided
I remember a time we used to run
To see the children play soccer
See the winners and root for our favorites

Now, litter scatters around
Houses built haphazardly
Noise and pollution all over
The young aged

the inhabitants stationary
or regressing into poverty
Roads unidentifiable now
The end is in sight

I cried at my past
For it is painful to see others still in it
With nowhere to go

A past filled with death and sorrow
A past one will like to cover and not uncover
Go to Paa Willie junction
And you will see the regression of Ghana

Author Profile - Nana Yeboaa

roblucastaylor@gmail.com (Rob Taylor) — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 00:05:00 +0000

Biography:

Nana Yeboaa is the pen name for Bernadette Poku. She is a spoken word artist and performance poet. Some of her poetry material have apperead in the Taj Mal anthology, T.dot griot: an anthology of toronto black story tellers.

Five Questions with Nana Yeboaa:

1. How long have you been writing poetry?

I have been writing poetry since the age of fifteen.

2. Who are your favorite poets? Which poets have most inspired and informed your work?

I do respect the works of May Angelou, Efua Sutherland, Ayi-kwei Armah, and O'Bitpek. The works of the pre-colonial and post colonial poets have substance and gut that informs and moves me.

3. What do you hope to accomplish with your poetry?

As with my predecessors, I hope my poetry will inspire, inform and encourage people.

4. How often have you returned to Ghana? How long were you away between visits?

Since my ten years sojourning in Canada, I have been to Ghana three times in the last five years.

5. In your poem you write of Russia, the suburb of Accra. Many readers would not understand this reference, especially those not familiar with Ghana, and may think of 'Russia' as a very different, colder place in Europe. On the one hand this makes the poem richer and more cemented to the real world, on the other hand it alienates some readers. Why did you make this choice?

I do understand your point, but I think if you read the poem in totality it gives the reader the message that Russia is in Ghana and not Europe. Likewise, the use of the name Russia, although I do not know of how the place was named as such, is indicative of naming of places in the developing world after the parts of the developed world.

Contact Nana:

the-african-child(at)hotmail.com

erasing my memories - Jabulani Mzinyathi

roblucastaylor@gmail.com (Rob Taylor) — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 19:41:00 +0000

mutabaruka then you moved me
to take up arms against apartheid
the killings in soweto, in sharpeville
the bombing of exiles in zimbabwe
the bombings in mozambique
the bombings in zambia and elsewhere

peter tosh you moved me to tears
moved me to fight against apartheid
that callous jailing of nelson mandela
the hanging of little talked of benjamin moloise
the mysterious death of steve bantu biko
the deaths of all heroic sons and daughters

how can i forget dennis brutus
choose to forget ruth first
choose to forget umkhonto we sizwe
separate me from that african struggle
that african struggle for freedom

those so-called attacks on foreigners
the smell of burning human flesh
those all too familiar photos
the infamous necklacing of fellow victims
fellow victims of poverty, ignorance and disease

the shocking violence on fellow africans
the displacement of fellow africans
europe dismantles her borders
we slavishly cling to colonial legacies

who alienates me from my struggle?
who seeks to erase my memories?

Author Profile - Jabulani Mzinyathi

roblucastaylor@gmail.com (Rob Taylor) — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 19:40:00 +0000

Biography:

Jabulani Mzinyathi was born in 1965 in Ascot, Gweru, Zimbabwe. He calls himself a poet-prophet-philosopher. His pan-African ideals and the teachings of Rastafari greatly inspire him. He is also driven by an immense sense of justice.

His works have been published in numerous magazines in Zimbabwe and elsewhere. You may read his works at http://jabulanimzinyathi.blogspot.com.

Five Questions with Jabulani Mzinyathi:

1. How long have you been writing poetry?

I have been writing poetry since I was about thirteen years old, if not earlier.

2. Who are your favorite poets? Which poets have most inspired and informed your work?

The list of my favourite poets is not exhaustive but I deeply respect Dambudzo Marechera, Chenjerai Hove, Dr. Edson Zvobgo, Dennis Brutus, Lebo Mashile, Benjamin Zephaniah, Mutabaruka, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Frank Chipasula, and Jack Mapanje.

3. What do you hope to accomplish with your poetry?

My poetry is part of the bigger struggle for African emancipation. I consciously seek to propagate the spirit of pan-Africanism. I also seek to propagate internationalist ideals. I view myself as a citizen of the world but what hurts me deeply is the petty divisions that are based on the colour of a man's skin.

My poetry is meant to be an exercise in exorcism - there are evil spirits to be exorcised. These manifest themselves in tribalism or racism, in misrule and all forms of discrimination.

My poetry is about pride. My poetry seeks to spread the message that we black people are not inferior at all. I seek to remind fellow blacks to stand up and be counted. "None but ourselves can free our minds."

4. It's interesting that your listing of powerful African political figures and events begins with calls to Mutabaruka and Peter Tosh, Jamaican-born musicians. What does this say about the roll of these artists, and Rastafarianism in general, in African history and politics?

Rastafarianism is a powerful force that raises the consciousness of Africans in general. It is a struggle for emancipation. It is a constant reminder of what has happened to the black race. The worst crime against humanity per my view is slavery, and the beneficiaries of this crime have not wholly acknowledged this!

Reggae music, which is an integral part of Rastafarianism, condemns injustices. It spreads the message of love and black man's redemption. Rastafarianism provides an important link connecting Africans in the diaspora and those at home. Rastafarians have supported the revolutionary struggles on the continent. Listen to the lyrics of Peter Tosh, Bob Marley and others too numerous to mention here.

5. How do you think Africa can move closer to "dismantl[ing] its borders" like Europe? How, for instance, do you think that the African community should be responding to the current struggles in your home country?

Our present crop of leaders has surprisingly not moved fast enough to realise the ideals of a great son of Africa, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. Africa is one. The partitioning of Africa was done at the looters' conference in Berlin in 1884. Black people were not consulted and African states of old were destroyed at the stroke of a pen. Social,cultural,economic and political links were severed. Divisions were sowed.

Africa should go on and strengthen the African Union. That body has not reached its full potential because of silly perceptions that some Africans are anglophone, some are francophone, etc. These are all divide and rule tactics. It baffles me that our leaders have tenaciously held on to colonial boundaries. It is a shame!

The African Union should play a very important role in solving the challenges in my home country. Africa should make a clear analysis of the challenges that we face and should have mechanisms to bring solutions that are legally binding. The time for blind praise singing should be a thing of the past. Africa should be at the forefront telling our leaders that their personal interests are subordinate to the will of the people!

Contact Jabulani:

jmzinyathi1(at)yahoo.co.uk

Africa - Benjamin Dowuona

roblucastaylor@gmail.com (Rob Taylor) — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 00:10:00 +0000

Sons and daughters of Africa,
Your distressed mother calls,
Her soul travails.
She has but one request
Restore her to a state that is best.
From North to South,
East to West.
Her soul is thirsty.

Africa, the promised land
Africa, the cradle of civilization,
Mother Africa, full of natural resources
Mother of colour
Gold, silver and what have you
Had warriors too
For from you were borne
The great Nkrumahs, Kenyattas and Mandelas
Yet you went through all the trauma.

Yes, she is the mother colour
She is beautifully black
But her colour has been tainted,
Abused and destroyed
And now some of her children are ashamed
To be called and seen as black.
Tho' she is black,
Doesn't she deserve better?
In fact she deserves the best.
But can her children pass the test
And let her walk with a proud chest?

Children of Africa,
Let us all wake up
For our Mother needs a voice
It lies on you and I as Africans
To make her proud
What have you said,
Done, thought, about this?

Mother Africa needs us
As much as we need her
Let us all rise
And make her proud.

Author Profile - Benjamin Dowuona

roblucastaylor@gmail.com (Rob Taylor) — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 00:09:00 +0000

Biography:

Benjamin “Wryghteouz” Dowuona is the liaison officer of Border Crossers Literary Group. The Border Crossers Literary Group is a product of Crossing Borders, a British Council initiative that, in 2006 used information technology to link young writers from 10 different countries in Africa with experienced mentors in the UK.

Benjamin has a collection of 35 poems and hopes to publish “Wry Things” later this year. He is currently working on “The Ties That Bind”, a novel. His hobbies are reading, writing, music and travelling.

Five Questions with Benjamin Dowuona:

1. How long have you been writing poetry?

I have been writing poetry for the better part of twelve years now. I actively started writing after my Advanced Levels examinations when I did my National Service(somewhere in 1996).

2. Who are your favorite poets? Which poets have most inspired and informed your work?

My top three favorite poets who have inspired my approach to poetry would be first and foremost Atukwei Okai, whose work I've always found fascinating, also Christoper Okigbo and Wole Soyinka (his collection "Poems from Prison" is a favourite).

3. What do you hope to accomplish with your poetry?

“Poetry is a truth based on different perceptions. It is an attempt to tell the truth in a fuller and more authentic manner. The great theatre of the world is written in verse, and its poetry reconciles us to the absurdities, injustices and cruelties of our nations”. I believe with my poetry I can affect one person at a time to help change their psyche. So I look at all issues from all sorts of angles and hope that other people will appreciate those views that I put across.

4. You are a liaison officer of the Border Crossers Literary Group. Could you tell us more about the organization, your role in it, and how others can get involved if they are interested?

The Border Crossers Literary Group is a result of Crossing Borders, a British Council initiative that used information technology to link young writers from ten different countries in Africa with experienced mentors in the UK.

When the project in Ghana ended we sought to keep the network of participants together and created “Border Crossers”, a diverse range of writers who meet regularly to take a leading role in the development of literature in Accra.We thought as a group that critical to every writer's development was critique and assessment so we meet monthly to review and critic each others work.

As the Liaison Officer of the Border Crossers Literary Club, I liase with other groups with the same objectives as ours and ensure that there is as much interaction as possible geared towards improving our work as literary people.

As a group we have been able to hold two rather successful shows, first a poetry recital that was hosted by the British Council and then the first ever interactive book reading in Accra, where three members of the group's works was read and we sought instant input and appraisal from the audience.

We are an open group in that membership is open to all and sundry who are interested in African literature. We can be contacted via bordercrosserslg(at)yahoo.com or +233 20 8255992.

5. Could you tell us a bit about the publishing process for your poetry collection? Was it a rewarding experience for you?

Frankly the publishing process has been arduous to say the least but it's been a huge learning experience and it reinforces the need for groups like the Border Crossers. Because what I have now resolved to do is to get book publishers now and then to meet with the group to "let us in" what they require from us as writers.

Contact Benjamin:

ryghteouz(at)yahoo.com

Roundtable Discussion #3 - Ghanaian Women Writers

roblucastaylor@gmail.com (Rob Taylor) — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 01:12:00 +0000

In this, our third Roundtable Discussion here at OGOV, we are focusing on the unique perspective brought to the writing community by African women writers. This discussion features Emma Akuffo, Vida Ayitah and Mariska Taylor-Darko, and was moderated by Edith Faalong. After you are done reading, please be sure to use the comment section to join the conversation yourself!

Do you feel there are certain attributes women writers bring to their craft that are unique and necessary for telling the story of Ghana, or is gender not a factor?

Edith Faalong:

Personally, I believe women bring more to the table in all spheres of life. Just this morning I was watching a North African movie where there was friction between men and women due to inequality. At the end of the day however, it ended by acknowledging the disparity between the role and status of women in society, but sounded that it will never change!

I say that the extent of this disparity is determined by society. Gender is and will always be determined by society. But in this writing field, the issue of gender does not matter much. Yet women have a broader and richer coverage of emotion than their male counterparts. Their writings especially when it comes to social issues, are hence denser and more specific.

Lets take a book like Une Si Longue Lettre by Mariama Bâ. It recounts the personal narrative of a recently widowed Senegalese woman, Ramatoulaye, in the form of a letter to her best friend from childhood. Following the death of her husband, Ramatoulaye writes to her friend during the period of mourning mandated by her Islamic faith. It goes on to expose the trials of women in the typical African society. I say that a man would not have done as much justice to this story. As a woman born and raised in such a society, Mariama Bâ is able to pull readers to feel what the main characters feel.

Lets also consider the works of Ama Ata Aidoo, Efua Sutherland, or our very own Mariska Taylor-Darko and Emma Akuffo, and we will understand that women bring certain attributes to writing that are unique and indispensable in telling the African and for that matter, the Ghanaian story.

Emma Akuffo:

I agree with Edith. Women are generally more intuitive, more sensitive and more inquisitive than men. We tend to focus on detail whilst men tend to look at the bigger picture. It's nice to see on OGOV that we have captured and blended these gender differences quite nicely!

Edith:

Exactly. The emotions women bring to writing are dense and run too deep to ignore.

Mariska Taylor-Darko:

I also agree. Men tend to focus on the technical side of writing, whereas women tend to write what is in their hearts and I think that tends to have a greater impact on the reader. Sometimes I find it difficult to understand a poem after the first reading because of the elaborate and technical language used by the writer and these often seem to happen when reading male poetry (sorry guys!). I even heard one man comment that I did not have symbolism in my poems and that I was too direct and he went on and on about stanzas and all that. Excuse me, but poetry is an affair of the heart. It is to be read and understood at a glance, not to be analysed and theorised about.

Vida Ayitah:

Good point there, Mariska! A man once commented that I tend to be too "moralistic" in my poems. A kind of executioner thing, he said. But come on! If men can write about cars and call it a genuine "boy thing" why cant women write flowery, flowing girl-poems that speak of and defend their sisters? And yes, poetry is meant to be beautiful and easy, not some math equation to be analysed and brooded over for weeks. Without female writers, this whole world will be one sad grey slate.

Why has Ghanaian writing historically been so male dominated?

Edith:

Honestly I do not have a definite conclusion on this. I however think that Ghanaian writing has been historically male dominated because, in earlier years, the African writer was reacting to strong and sometimes violent social issues which our women were not encouraged to meddle in. It's in actuality a world phenomenon as it applies to early Rome and other modern countries, as well.

Education and socialisation also plays a role in writing and our women were well inadequately prepared in both areas. How then could they put their natural intelligence and sentiments into words? We realise that the advent of gender development and equality coincided with the emergence of the most well known female writers in our world today. I believe men dominated the writing scene because women were not given the opportunity to break in.

Mariska:

Ghanaian writing has been male dominated in the past because to be honest women were relegated to the kitchen and bringing up kids and learning home science, etc. The woman's voice was and is powerful and yet was stifled. Instead of listening to it, people concentrated on what the "learned" men had to say. There is a group in London called "Find your Voice" and I think that is what Ghanaian women are doing today.

Vida:

Honestly, I do not know why Ghanaian writing has been historically so male dominated. Maybe writing had been considered as some kind of "sport" that only the men could participate in. Or it was deemed unfit for women to venture out of the kitchen and waste valuable time on something like that. Don't forget though, that girl-child education had also been strongly opposed around that time, and even the most talented and gifted women do need some form of formal education to express their thoughts.

But I agree with Edith that in earlier times the African writer was reacting rather strongly and violently to social issues and women, as I suppose we all know, are said to be the demure type. But then again, maybe the world just never expected women to be so darn intelligent.

Emma:

We should encourage our girls, through word and deed to aim higher than is expected culturally. They should grow up with the mindset that nothing is impossible if they work hard and are determined. I think it is also a social class issue. The poorer, less literate, families will not prioritise education and may actively discourage girls from pursuing education to a significant level. Therefore, we must not forget to reach out/communicate to these less visible parts of our society. Certain traditions remain but there should me some means of compromise.

Edith:

True talking, Emma. It's all about what we put into the spirit from infancy. Encouragement always goes a long way. Nothing beats the gift planted in the mind, so that should be the target. We can infuse this into our writings from time to time.

Vida:

While I agree with both Emma and Edith, I must also say that from infancy, children should be taught self-reliance. I do not speak for everyone, but from my own family and close friends, I realize that we tend to believe and expect too many miracles. The old saying still rules: that God helps those who help themselves.

We have to, as a people, learn to fight and stay focused on what we want. We must learn to invest the appropriate time and effort into achieving our goals, not spend nights and nights in churches praying and thinking that things are going to happen just because we believe.

Life is no bed of roses, anyone who dreams of being successful must accept the plain fact that opposition is all around. It may come from within or outside. All I am saying is, childhood, for many, is difficult, but this does not mean we're bound to fail. Let us believe that as a people with abilities, we are meant to succeed no matter our background or history. All it takes is hard work. Then more hard work.

OGOV Roundtable Discussion #3 - About the Participants

roblucastaylor@gmail.com (Rob Taylor) — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 01:03:00 +0000

Emma Akuffo:

The daughter of a Ghanaian diplomat, Emma Akuffo was born in Russia in 1965. Her childhood years were spent in a number of countries including India, Italy and Ghana, finally settling in Britain with her parents, two brothers and two sisters, at the ripe old age of 11.

Emma holds a PhD in biochemistry and works as a Research Scientist. She lives in England with her husband and two children. When she is not pushing back the frontiers of medical science or engaged in a mad rush after her children, she enjoys cycling into the sunset, swimming in moonlit waters and creative writing, particularly from an inspirational perspective.

A number of Emma’s poems have been included in anthologies from Dogma Publications and Forward Press. Her work is also featured at, amongst other places, brightlightmultimedia.com.

Emma’s poem ‘Love spoke’ was awarded a diploma in the UK section of the Scottish International Open Poetry Competition, 2004.

Emma is currently leading a project to anthologise poems previously published here on One Ghana, One Voice.

Vida Ayitah:

Vida was born on July 19th, 1978 in a small farming community in the Volta Region. She has three sisters and one brother. She is currently living and working in Accra. She enjoys music and dancing as much as she does writing.

Vida is OGOV's head of Ghanaian Promotions.

Edith Faalong:

Edith was born on January 12th, 1986 to Mr. Joseph Y Faalong and Madame Hellen Tanye in the Upper West Region of Ghana. She currently lives in Accra, reading economics and geography as a third-year student at the University of Ghana.

Mariska Taylor-Darko:

Born in Manchester, England in 1956, Mariska attended Holy Child Secondary School in Cape Coast and St. Mary's Secondary School, Mamprobi. She then returned to the UK and attended Beresford College of English and Commerce, Margate, Kent and later Harrow College of Further Education, Harrow, Middlesex.

Mariska currently resides in Accra. She has two sons, one married and living in London, the other attending Golden Sunbeam Montessori School, Adenta, Accra in JSS1. She is a motivational speaker, poet, writer, beautician, fire walker and lover of jazz, blues, reggae and old time highlife.

Have Come Too Far - Martin Elorm Dogbo

roblucastaylor@gmail.com (Rob Taylor) — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 00:25:00 +0000

I have come too far
To this land.

A land rich of corn
To eat
Rich of wine
To drink.

A land where
I will do the chores
I would not have done
In my native town.

I guess I am doing these things
Because I want to return
With more goodies.

I have come too far
To this land,
A land across the ocean
Where I am lost of culture.

Here,
no one cares for one another
Especially a Nubian as I am.

Here,
I am either scorned
Or made the laughing stock.

I would not have taken all these humiliations
At a place I call home.

Home, is where folks
Would be there for me
Defend and fight for me.

I guess I am enduring all these
Because I would not want to return
Empty handed.

I have come too far
To this land.

Would I not be able to catch
What I am pursuing here,
Over there?

I could not cling unto that belief
I have come too far
To this land,
Too far to return with nothing.

Author Profile - Martin Elorm Dogbo

roblucastaylor@gmail.com (Rob Taylor) — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 00:24:00 +0000

Biography:

Martin Elorm Dogbo was born on August 3rd, 1986 in Accra New Town, and has lived there most of his life.

He is a student of the Ghana Institute of Journalism, where he reads journalism and some English language as well as French. On campus he is one of the founding members of "Poetry Bar" — a poetry club on campus which meets twice a month to give room for aspiring poet to display their talents.

Five Questions with Martin Elorm Dogbo:

1. How long have you been writing poetry?

I have been writing poetry for 10 years.

2. Who are your favorite poets? Which poets have most inspired and informed your work?

My favorite poets are Kofi Anyidoho, Mariam Brew Daniels (both from the 1970s edition of Efua Sutherland's "Talents for Tomorrow'), Lade Wosornu, Kofi Awoonor, Wole Soyinka, Oswald Mtshali and others.

3. What do you hope to accomplish with your poetry?

Everything.

4. Have you traveled outside of Ghana and experienced the pressure not to "return with nothing" first hand?

No. I write from the experiences of returnees who are mostly relatives.

5. You use repetition very effectively in this poem. Is repetition a device you use often in your poetry? What effects do you hope to have on your readers when you employ it?

I use repetitions most of the time. I feel it makes it easier for readers to memorize my poems.

Contact Martin Elorm:

eldusty911(at)gmail.com

playing in the atlantic - Van G. Garrett/Fui Koshi

roblucastaylor@gmail.com (Rob Taylor) — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 00:09:00 +0000

i renamed the ocean aya:
her indomitable spirit moved me
as she resounded in my ears
like chants bouncing on the coast
where those with and without my okra name
progressed in my likeness and greeted me
dashing gifts smiles handshakes
as if we have walked africa’s paths together before

The photo, "Coasting", is © 2008 Van G. Garrett.

Author Profile - Van G. Garrett/Fui Koshi

roblucastaylor@gmail.com (Rob Taylor) — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 00:08:00 +0000

Biography:

Van G. Garrett recently visited the southern and northern regions of Ghana. In addition to studying at the University of Ghana (with its study abroad partnership with the University of Houston’s African American Studies Program) and other universities in Ghana, he climbed the country’s highest mountain, fellowshipped with Brothers and Sisters on the Coast, plains, and mountains, and he attended a naming ceremony in Keta, where he got his “new name”, Fui Koshi.

Van/Fui is the author of Songs in Blue Negritude (Xavier Review Press, 2007)

Five Questions with Van G. Garrett/Fui Koshi:

1. What inspired you to travel to Ghana, as opposed to another country in Africa?

I was inspired to travel to Ghana because I had read and studied that Ghana was a major "port of call" country in Africa; a major piece in the disturbing puzzle known as the Triangular Slave Trade. I wanted to see the tangible indicators that would provide lessons beyond books and lectures about my ancestry and slavery. This curiosity led to my enrolling in the African American Studies Program's study abroad program at the University of Houston, where I was awarded a Dr. Kwame Nkrumah International Study Scholarship, which made it possible for me to travel, learn, and experience Ghana.

2. How would you compare your learning experience at the University of Ghana to what you've experienced in the US?

I learned a lot from the professors from the University of Ghana and the professors and lecturers affiliated with the University of Cape Coast, and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. Through stories and proverbs I gained practical information about how daily living and education are inter-fused and triangulated in a myriad of conventions that stretch from the immediate to the less immediate; a quote that I especially enjoy (which I later discovered is etched on a wall in Fort Prinzenstein in Keta) is: "Until the lion has his historian, the hunter will always be a hero."

In a lecture entitled "Some Ghanaian Cultural Practices" presented by Professor Kofi Asare Opoku I gained a wealth of information about how Adinkra symbols and OKRA names (not "day names") are very significant in Ghanaian culture, and how a lot of nonverbal cues and sociolinguistic indicators are similar and/or dissimilar to those in the United States. Additionally, many of the lectures that I had also gave me more insight into the ills of slavery, and they helped me to better understand why my affinity for a place that I never visited was so strong; a premise Wole Soyinka terms "Saline Consciousness".

3. What did you know of Keta before traveling there? Had you read the tribute series of poems that we ran in January? Did the Keta you found meet your expectations?

I had a very limited amount of knowledge about Keta before I traveled there. I had read many of the poems by the Brothers and Sisters in OGOV and I found the language to be very powerful and rich with sensory details, just as I have found all of the writing to be very good in OGOV. However, one thing that I observed was that some of the poets from Keta utilized the page, whereas poets from other locales in Ghana utilized the white space more — relying on terse lines. I found the poetry from Keta to often read like prose poetry, but after visiting I found out why; there are unexpected stories, like the one about the witty slave escape at Fort Prinzenstein, built by the Danes in 1784, that require a writer to spend more time with his or her subject(s) to bring out or highlight the minute details. Given this fact, more treatment is often needed to fully paint or write a more well-rounded piece.

Keta exceeded my expectations. I was not there too long, but the people, just as they were wherever I went, were very friendly. I did a lot of photography there and I look forward to going back to do further research.

4. Could you tell our readers more about the naming ceremony? What impact has your new name had upon you?

One of the highlights of my trip was the naming ceremony. AAS and Galaxy Tours arranged for the students in the study abroad program to attend a durbar at Independence Beach in Keta. The entire experience was overwhelming, as I sat there with my colleagues enjoying the music, dancing, and the royal processional, I mean I actually fellowshipped with chiefs, queen mothers, and a queen. I even got to take pictures of Queen Sheba Ra III and shake hands with dignitaries from all over. As if that were not enough, I was "officially" welcomed to Keta. I was presented my kente strip, my necklace and my wrist beads and given my new name, Fui Koshi. It was an emotional time. I have never experienced that type of heart-felt appreciation from people who did not know me, but welcomed me as a family member and took me in as if they had known me my entire life.

I plan to use my new name (which means "firstborn male son on a Sunday") whenever I participate in something that uplifts and promotes the betterment of, and raises awareness of, the Continent. I love my new name. It means so much to be given a name in a land that was once distant, yet still very close to your heart.

5. Did you write "playing in the atlantic" while in Ghana or after returning home? More generally, did you find that you wrote differently in Ghana than you do in the US?

I wrote "playing in the atlantic" in Ghana, after visiting the slave castle and dungeon in Cape Coast. The day was emotionally draining, so our tour guides (Wisdom and TiTi) decided to take us to a remote beach so that we could relax and mentally unwind before we retired for the evening. I remember I sat for minutes trying to write a poem that just focused on the luxury of the beach and how it was so relaxing, but my mind could not disassociate all of the stories and less-than postcard like images that swirled in my mind like the cresting waves in the "Angry Atlantic".

I can't wait to see how my poetry will be affected by my travels in Ghana. I experienced so much that I am still trying to process it all. I thought that I would spend more time writing, but I spent more time "snapping" (doing photography), which will help me to focus more on picture-pushing details that I heavily rely on for the ekphrastic type of poetry that I write. However, one noticeable thing as it relates to my writing, as least with my latest poem, is that it is not written in the kwansaba form, a form that the last two dozens of my published poems are written in. I have a feeling my new poetry is going to be longer and more sensual.

Contact Van/Fui:

vangsongs(at)gmail.com

Mapping OGOV Poets

roblucastaylor@gmail.com (Rob Taylor) — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 16:43:00 +0000

Since March 2007, we here at OGOV have published 72 "issues" by 36 different authors. In lieu of a new poem this week, we thought we'd look at where those poets are coming from and what that tells us about poetry in Ghana.

Here are the general results of a review of authors' country of origin and country of current habitation:

Authors by country of origin:

1. Ghana - 67%
T-2. United States - 11%
T-2. Canada - 11%
4. Zimbabwe - 8%
5. Nigeria - 6%

Authors by country of current habitation:

1. Ghana - 50%
2. United States - 17%
3. Canada - 14%
T-4. England - 6%
T-4. Zimbabwe - 6%
T-6. Nigeria - 3%
T-6. South Africa - 3%
T-6. Switzerland - 3%

It seems from this that a 'brain drain' of poets from Ghana to other parts of the world is certainly occurring, with a 17 percentage point drop in the share of poets living in Ghana (a 25% drop in real numbers). The biggest gainers of Ghanaian poets, not surprisingly, are England (up to 6%, a 100% increase) and the United States (up to 17%, a 50% increase).

The bigger 'brain drain' of Ghanaian poets on OGOV, though, can be seen when you look at a national level:

Ghanaian poets by Region of birth:

1. Greater Accra Region - 29%
T-2. Ashanti Region - 17%
T-2. Central Region - 17%
T-4. Eastern Region - 8%
T-4. Northern Region - 8%
T-4. Volta Region - 8%
T-7. Upper East - 4%
T-7. Upper West - 4%
T-7. Unknown - 4%

While Accra clearly plays a leading role in producing poets, the distribution of poets' homelands is fairly even - that is, until you take into consideration the poets' region of current habitation:

Ghanaian poets by Region of current habitation:

1. Greater Accra Region - 59%
2. Ashanti Region - 12%
T-3. United States - 8%
T-3. England - 8%
T-5. Central Region - 4%
T-5. Canada - 4%
T-5. Switzerland - 4%

Only 16% of all Ghanaian poets featured on this site reside in a Region of Ghana other than Greater Accra, with only 4 out of 17 (23%) of Ghanaian poets born outside of Greater Accra still living outside of the capital.

Certainly, a number of factors influence these results, three of which I'll note here:

First, the University of Ghana, Legon, pulls talented young writers to Accra.

Second, OGOV is based out of the capital, and our promotional campaigns have been most focused there.

Third, OGOV is an online magazine, limiting our audience to urban areas of the country with solid internet networks.

Add to all of that the nation-wide trend of migration towards Accra, and the results may not seem all that surprising. Still, they raise a number of questions:

Is a poetic 'brain drain' to the capital happening?

If so, is this good or bad?

What can we do to compensate for it? How can we make sure that the peoples and stories of other parts of Ghana are written about?

How can we take advantage of having such a large percentage of Ghana's poets in one city?

Let us know what you think.

We'll be back to our normal schedule with a poem and profile next Saturday.

Mother's Touch - Mariska Taylor-Darko

roblucastaylor@gmail.com (Rob Taylor) — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 06:03:00 +0000

In the village compound which
was cleanly swept and tidy,
a compound not easily accessible by road,
a group of old women sat huddled together.
Sticks and pipes jutted out of their mouths
which occasionally moved in unison.
A sigh here and a look to the sky there.
Some sat with their chins in their palms,
a look of sadness about them,
they spoke:

"This is the time that I should
be with my sons and their wives,
with my daughters, and their husbands.
My children should be looking after me now,
after all the blood, sweat and tears
that I shed for many days and nights
in their time of illness,
their time of pain,
their time of sorrow.

"I felt pain when they were born,
but it was such sweet pain when I looked
into the faces of the new life that I had borne,
I felt joy when they were growing up
and happiness when they became adults,
I felt pain when they left home to set up their new lives
but joy when they came to visit, sitting and laughing
while they enjoyed their mother's cooking,
I felt pain when they were going through difficulties,
but joy when they overcame their hurdles.

"Now I sit alone,
some stranger, a prophet, in the name of religion,
put their struggles and problems on my head –
"Your mother is a witch, she wants to destroy you"
Just because I am old, a widow, helpless and defenseless,
just because my poverty and suffering is drawn on my face,
I am the scourge of my village.
Would I destroy my life?
Life that came out of me?
I may have lost my youth but not my mind.

"Now I don't see my children,
don't know some of my grandchildren,
my husband's family don't remember me.
There is a pain that never goes,
it just stays there in the heart, in the womb,
and gradually eats away at life itself -
oh the pain.

"When I die it will be too late
for anyone to say "I am sorry,"
But I continue to love my children,
I continue to feel them in my arms,
I continue to see their laughter and joy,
I continue to live for the day
when I would be called "Maame" again -
Aye! The pain.

"Old men don't get called witches,
they just marry younger women and continue with life.
What is it that women do wrong in their lives?
Maybe they love and care too much,
maybe they sacrifice too much,
feel too much."

One day, someone somewhere will weep,
because they can no longer get back
that mother's touch, that mother's love,
that mother's smile -
oh the pain.

Author Profile - Mariska Taylor-Darko

roblucastaylor@gmail.com (Rob Taylor) — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 05:56:00 +0000

Biography:

Born in Manchester, England in 1956, Mariska attended Holy Child Secondary School in Cape Coast and St. Mary's Secondary School, Mamprobi, Accra. She then returned to the UK and attended Beresford College of English and Commerce, Margate, Kent and later Harrow College of Further Education, Harrow, Middlesex. She has a PhD in Life.

She has two sons, Niinoi and Kwame. She is a motivational speaker, poet, writer, beautician, fire walker and lover of jazz, blues, reggae and old time highlife.

Five Questions with Mariska Taylor-Darko:

1. Do you think that poetry can provide a voice for the voiceless, even though most of the most disenfranchised people in Ghana cannot read or write? If so, how?

Spoken word touches all. Poetry can be read by the educated and for the disenfranchised can be narrated either in English or in the local dialects. When a poet uses this form of communication they cover all areas so no one is left out.

2. What share of the plight of grandmothers do you think has to do with sexism (i.e. the fact that they are women) and what share has to do with ageism (i.e. the fact that they are elderly)? How do you think these factors interact to worsen the position of the women you speak of?

I would say 40% for sexism. 30%, for ageism and 30% for being uneducated. I don't think I can say more than that the cocktail of the three definitely makes life hard and worsens their plight.

3. In a recent profile of Vida Ayitah I mentioned that I viewed her as a "poet of witness" - observing and recounting the stories of the people, especially the underprivileged. I think such a title could apply to you, as well - especially when considering this poem. Is being a "witness" a conscious goal for you when you write?

Being a "poet of witness" is not my main intention but whenever I see or observe something that touches me and especially when the voiceless cannot stand up for themselves, I just get the urge to write about it. The words flow easily because I have the photographic image already imprinted in my mind. Like Vida I would say that sensitivity is within us. Thank you for the title.

4. In your last profile, you noted how frustrated you are with the slow movement of Universities in leading the rebirth of poetry in Ghana, and noted that, "I think the present poets should be the ones to play a central role. The freelancers, the untrained and the lover of poetry and verse are very important, too." What are your suggestions for how the "present poets", such as yourself, can take the lead?

During our forum many suggestions were raised and discussed and all of them good. My intention is to set up a poetry-open mic night in my area and I have started putting out "feelers", i.e the venue, the availability of a P.A. System etc. It takes time but I am determined to get it going. So this is my way of taking the lead and not waiting for the Universities. My dream is for the TV and radio Stations to have section for poetry from known and unknown readers and narrators in English and all dialects.

5. Have you embarked on any new writing projects lately? If so, what?

I am still working on my book and have started writing a series of poems on certain negative aspects of tradition. I'm sure to step on peoples toes but what must be said must be said. The truth hurts. But then we also say "the truth shall set you free."

Contact Mariska:

Email: mariska.taylor(at)gmail.com
Alternate Email: arabataylord(at)yahoo.co.uk
Websites: African Woman's Poetry, Mariska's MySpace Page

Ode to Nkrumah - Reggie Kyere

roblucastaylor@gmail.com (Rob Taylor) — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 06:36:00 +0000

I met him! Yes, I bumped into Nkrumah
in my history book.
We sat down for coffee around the corner.
He had his black,
I went for my usual white and
down I gulped it with a mild cough.
I got myself an autograph.
He was one fine black brother.
Fathia's love, no wonder.

Back at junior high,
my history teacher, Mr. Humble Pie,
asked "Who was Nkrumah?"
"He was a black man,
most coloured of them all," I answered,
"He flashed his manhood when
others had turned eunuch,
when fear kicked them
flying over the couch."

A traitor to the white,
he pinched against them the
art they helped him master,
education.

Son of Nkroful, most anointed of them all.
He pinched them with self rule, now!
His compatriot roared,how!
They knew not his mission
'cause he was milles away from their vision.

A patriot, most charismatic of them all.
His tears and sweats ousted the intruder
for the Ghanaian to regain power.
He bequeathed unto my ancestors the name "freeborn."
With this ode his name I adorn.

"Ode to Nkrumah" is part four of our four-part series of poems on Kwame Nkrumah. Previous postings from the series can be read in our Archives.

Author Profile - Reggie Kyere

roblucastaylor@gmail.com (Rob Taylor) — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 06:28:00 +0000

Biography:

Kyere Ofori Reginald was born in 1987 in Kumasi, Ashanti Region. He has an elder sister and a younger brother, and recently completed Philips Secondary Commercial School in Kumasi.

Five Questions with Reggie Kyere:

1. What inspired you to write about Nkrumah? What about Nkrumah makes him an interesting subject for poetic study?

My admiration of great men inspired me. He is a cheetah in a colony of leopards when it comes to today's African leaders.

2. How do you think Nkrumah has been, and will be, remembered by history? How do you think he should be remembered?

He's had schools and others named after him, has portrait on Cedi notes, etc. I think there should be a day like "Nkrumah Day". I also believe he should receive coinage.

3. What role do you think poetry can have in shaping our understanding of history?

Our history can be read and sung to us through poetry like a lullaby.

4. What do you think Nkrumah would say of the state of Ghana today?

Not bad. We have a long way to go, we just need the proper mindset.

5. Do you think that it's possible for someone like Nkrumah to rise to a position of leadership in Ghana today?

They all come into office looking and sounding like Nkrumah. Nobody knows what happens to them. Hopefully we will get someone like Nkrumah again.

Contact Reggie:

reggiekyere(at)@yahoo.com

the mission - Cosmas Mairosi

roblucastaylor@gmail.com (Rob Taylor) — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 06:00:00 +0000

liberate africa!
amalgamate africa!
civilise africa!

your voice boomed
echoes pervading oppressed africa

the walls of colonialism crumbled
you authored a new dawn for africa

liberate africa!
amalgamate africa!
civilise africa!

the voice echoes in our hearts
we still cherish the dream nkrumah

but the bullet still speaks louder than the ballot
the blood of kinsmen continue to stain our hands

more of us have seen the light
your song shall never die on our lips

liberate africa!
amalgamate africa!
civilise africa!

"the mission" is part three of our four-part series of poems on Kwame Nkrumah. Our final installment will be posted next week.

Author Profile - Cosmas Mairosi

roblucastaylor@gmail.com (Rob Taylor) — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 05:59:00 +0000

Biography:

Cosmas Mairosi was born on February 8th, 1977 in Mudzi, Zimbabwe. He grew up in the rural area of Rusape in Manicaland province. He is a qualified primary schoolteacher by profession, holds a diploma in Education (distinction in English). Cosmas is a performance poet, writer, and arts trainer in children's performing arts.

Cosmas' poems have won numerous awards, and his poems and short stories have been published in Writers Scroll, Teacher's Voice and New Voices Magazine. One of his poems is featured in the international anthology 'CHE IN VERSE', published by Aflame Books.

Five Questions with Cosmas Mairosi:

1. What inspired you to write about Nkrumah? What about Nkrumah makes him an interesting subject for poetic study?

Nkrumah is one of the greatest leaders from the African continent that deserves legendary acclaim. Whenever I teach my pupils about Africa, Africa day, O.A.U./A.U., I feel a certain pride for the man and his vision for Africa. Poetry is the only way I can express my gratitude and pay tribute to the man.

2. How do you think Nkrumah has been, and will be, remembered by history? How do you think he should be remembered?

Nkrumah will always be remembered for his vision for Africa. True leaders take a holistic approach. In liberating Ghana, Nkrumah did not see it as an end, but a beginning. He saw Ghana as part of Africa. His vision for the whole continent. As a poet I do feel an anthology on him is best.

3. What role do you think poetry can have in shaping our understanding of history?

Poetry can express the true nobility to objects, heroes and historical events. It can vividly bring events back to life and define perspectives. It makes old bones shake in the grave.

4. What do you think Nkrumah would say of the state of Africa today?

Keep trying, you will win.

5. Do you think that it's possible for someone like Nkrumah to rise to a position of leadership in Ghana, or elsewhere in Africa, today?

Africa still needs another Nkrumah. He might have had faults but his vision was true and holy.

Contact Cosmas:

cmairosi(at)yahoo.com