The Pan-African Writers Association (PAWA), on Tuesday presented to former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings preliminary copies of a book written in honor of former president Jerry John Rawlings.
Entitled “JJ RAWLINGS: MEMORIES AND MEMENTOS”, the book which was presented by PAWA Secretary General Dr Wale Okediran is a collection of poetry, short fictions, tributes and essays by contributors from all over the world and the continent.
During the presentation at Ms Agyeman-Rawlings’ office, Dr Okediran said the book was prompted by the outpouring of emotion from many African writers and commentators from across Africa. He said it is a collection of writings and poems from fifteen countries. The family reported.
Abdourahamane Diallo from Guinea, who is currently the head of UNESCO in Ghana, wrote the Forward of the book.
Rawlings’ impact
The PAWA Secretary General said President Rawlings had an impact on writers across the continent and that it was under his tenure that the Continental Association was formed in 1989. The book, he said, was a tribute to how the late former Ghanaian leader inspired many on the continent and beyond.
The work was praised by the family of the former president, in particular the former first lady, Nana kunadu and her daughter, Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings who was also at the meeting.
“It is an opportunity for people to realise that JJ had a broader impact on the region (Africa) than many seem to realise. It is an opportunity for PAWA to speak about the role President Rawlings played in the organisation’s inception. There is a whole generation who do not know some of these issues because some of his contemporaries have not publicly acknowledged the role he played in the establishment and expansion of other sectors such as the arts,” Dr. Agyeman-Rawlings said.
Therefore, PAWA plans to launch the book in Accra by mid-December 2021.
The book was edited by Professor Bill F. Ndi, Cameroonian Professor of Modern Languages and Philosophy, Fellow of the Booker T. Washington Leadership Institute and Chairman of the Faculty Senate at Tuskegee University.
Source: AfrikPage