The National Commission on Culture (NCC) in collaboration with African Poems of Our Time Organisation has initiated a national inter-school poetry recital competition. The theme of the competition is “Celebrating African Heritage Through Poetry”. This initiative aims to promote Ghanaian culture, encourage Senior High School students to use poetry to express themselves, and address social issues. The competition seeks to provide a national platform for young people to explore their cultural heritage and develop their creative abilities.
The Acting Executive Director of the NCC, Mr Wakefield Ackuaku, stated that the Commission supports the initiative because poetry can help preserve idioms, expressions, and indigenous languages that are gradually being lost. The programme aligns with the Commission’s Black Star Experience, which aims to promote Ghanaian culture through different thematic activities. February has been dedicated to spoken word, indigenous languages, and literary works, and the launch is part of preparations for these activities.
The NCC is working with an app developer, ZWave, to make poems accessible through smartphones and other devices, widening participation. The Commission has opened its cultural spaces across the country to students and the general public for activities that promote and develop Ghanaian culture. The competition will be organised in three stages: district, regional, and national levels. Winners will be chosen to move to the regional level, and eventually, the national event.
Mr Ackuaku mentioned that the Commission is working to secure sponsorship for the national event and its prizes. He encouraged students to explore poetry in Ghanaian languages, including Akan, Dagbani, Ewe, and Dangbe, to strengthen their connection with their cultural identity. Parents and traditional authorities are urged to support young poets and incorporate poetry into cultural and traditional events.
The Secretary-General of African Poems of Our Time Organisation, Mr Ibrahim Salami, stated that the organisation started in 2016 to promote African culture, develop students’ vocabulary, and encourage creativity among young people. The organisation piloted the programme in Nyakrom in 2023 and at Swedru Senior High School in 2024 before officially launching it as a national programme in collaboration with the NCC.
Mr Salami mentioned that the programme will help students develop a deeper appreciation for Ghanaian culture and encourage them to practise and preserve it in their daily lives. The initiative will use poetry to encourage young people to speak against negative social practices, particularly those associated with the misuse of social media. Poetry can provide students with an alternative platform to express themselves positively and contribute to addressing challenges in their communities.
The national inter-school poetry recital competition aims to go beyond identifying winners to developing young people who could become writers, spoken-word artists, teachers, journalists, cultural ambassadors, and leaders. The organisation faced funding challenges during the pilot programmes and has appealed to individuals and institutions to support the national initiative. Poetry can be used to address social issues such as substance abuse, teenage pregnancy, bullying, and environmental degradation.
Key points
- The competition aims to promote Ghanaian culture and encourage Senior High School students to express themselves through poetry.
- The programme will help students develop a deeper appreciation for Ghanaian culture and encourage them to practise and preserve it in their daily lives.
- The initiative seeks to provide a national platform for young people to explore their cultural heritage, develop their creative abilities, and preserve Ghanaian traditions, languages, and values through poetry.
