A number of renowned Ghanaian writers have celebrated Toni Morrison for her immense contribution towards the concept of reading.
She was celebrated at the offices of e-Ananse library located in Osu last Wednesday.
The event which started off around 7 pm on Wednesday evening saw six writers, namely Bisi Adjapon, Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond, Kofi Akpabli, Mamle Kabu, Empi Baryeh and Nana Awere Damoah taking patrons through all the concepts of Toni Morrison books.
Toni Morrison was an American novelist, essayist, editor, teacher, and professor emeritus at Princeton University.
Why Celebrating Toni Morrison?
Writer and Publisher Kofi Akpabli indicated that the celebration of Toni was needed because of the experience she placed in her work.
”Celebrating and remembering the legacy of Toni Morrison was needed because she has just passed, and it’s such a big loss to the community of writers. She charted a path that made the lives of black people more palpable. Prior to her, people had had issues understanding what the black situation was.
”She showed an inner way of depicting the real identity of black struggle. For Christ sake, this is the first black woman to win the Nobel Prize. She deserves every sort of celebration. She was just marvelous”, he said in an interview with THE NEW PUBLISHER, and hailed the idea behind the establishment of the Ananse Libraries’.
According to him, reading is one of the most fundamental skills one needs to learn to be successful in life.
”This is my first time at such an environment. It’s very unique. The idea is brilliant. The fact that the Ananse story is going to be told in digital terms, in more audio terms, as well as current technology is more exciting. I think we need more of such to boost the habit of reading in the country.” he indicated.
Year Of Return
The celebration of Year of Return in Ghana to mark 400 years since the first black slaves landed in Jamestown, Virginia, also contributed in bringing people from the diaspora to the Toni Morrison celebration.
They included Nicole Jonas, Simmons Ari Parker, Madam Jonas White, Rosaria Marvin, Bozoma Saint, among others.
”We are here to learn more about Ghanaian music and also about the African roots. We’ve heard the name Toni Morrison before, but we never knew all these exclusives about her personality. We are happy to be part of this celebration. We look forward to more”.
The celebration happens to be the third edition of the e-Ananse book reading session in Osu. Previous editions were directed by Stevie Nii-Adu Mensah, author of ‘It’s Cold oo’ and Madam Bisi Adjapon, author ‘Of Women and Frogs’.
e-Ananse Library Mission
The e-Ananse Libraries are to help revitalize Ghana’s reading culture and provide people with the tools to compete in the 21st Century by giving them access to high-quality contemporary literature, state-of-the-art computing facilities, and world-class literary events.
Each library has an e-Ananse technology hub, christened the Innovation Hub, which is equipped with internet-enabled PCs to give library-members access to the full range of resources available on the World Wide Web.
West Blue Consultancy aims at using the concept to help improve the standard of education in the country.
The General Manager, Mr. Kingsley Abeyieh, said the libraries are opened every Tuesday to Friday from 12pm to 8pm, and Saturdays from 10am to 6pm.
Source: Ghana|Starrfm.com.gh|103.5FM
