The Ghana Association of Writers (GAW) is urging media outlets to engage the expertise of professionals when reviewing books, particularly those authored by celebrities. GAW advises against relying on entertainment panelists who may lack the necessary knowledge and experience in book critique.
This is because the unprofessional way of reviewing books, which largely focused on the negativity, hampers the growing interest among people, especially celebrities, to tell their stories.
Speaking with Graphic Showbiz on Tuesday, July 11, the Organising Secretary of GAW, Oswald Okaitei, pointed out that until pubic figures such as Asamoah Gyan, Nathaniel Adisi aka Bola Ray, Juliet Ibrahim, Celestine Donkor and recently, actors, Yvonne Nelson and Adjetey Anang had sparked conversations in a book and thereby reviving the reading culture, various projects initiated by government and organisations, including GAW, didn’t make such huge impact.
He, however, expressed worry about the renewed reading culture possibly being cut short or undermined when entertainment panellists were empowered to lead conversations on such books which largely dwelt on sensationalism.
“For a very long time, GAW has been campaigning for players in the creative industry to give attention to writing/creative writing as part of the arts since it is fine arts.
“The outcome has, however, not been too meaningful and so it came as great relief and hope to see that ‘I Am Not Yvonne Nelson’ and subsequently, Adjetey Anang’s book were stoking conversations and highlighting the art of writing.
“But here we are with people, who don’t know and understand anything about book reviews, leading the conversations and reviewing books. Reviewing a book involves the style, content and even those behind the scenes such as graphic designers.
“But from some of the submissions, they tell that the said reviewers have not even read the book but making commentaries based on what they have heard.
“This is a recipe for disaster and could discourage people from telling their story and that is what GAW wants to prevent, particularly at a time when we realised that Ghanaians love to read and celebrities have influence on the minds of their followers,” he said.
The popular cliché that when one wants to hide something from the Blackman, he should put it in a book seems to affirm the poor reading culture among Africans.
Mr Okaiitei, who is also the Executive Director for Read Ghana, Read Consult, told Graphic Showbiz that the long held perception could be attributed to oral tradition as part of the African culture.
“We have been made to believe that writing isn’t African and that we are known for oral tradition and that ours is not literature. For instance, during the enstoolment of chiefs, they are kept in doors for days and taught customs through oral tradition.
“The tongue is also said to rot but the ink of the pen lasts forever. It’s the more reason why Shakespeare is mentioned today but the musicians of his time are not known. That comes to elaborate the fact that writing should be revered and it is quite unfortunate that aspect of the creative arts has been orphaned,” he said.
Mr Okaitei commended the likes of Yvonne Nelson, Bola Ray, Asamoah Gyan, Adjetey Anang and added that, “they have been able to stimulate conversations for writing. It gives us a lot of hope. People are discussing it. People are reading. It changes the narrative and we salute them for that”.