Tourism Ministry excited over rise of poetry in Ghana

Deputy Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Dzifa Abla Gomashie has expressed her excitement over the steady rise of spoken word and poetry in Ghana.

According to her, the country in recent times has witnessed many young people being invited to perform the art to break the monotony of speeches upon speeches when events are organized.

Hon. Dzifa Abla Gomashie who herself is a poetess noted that this is an avenue for the youth to earn some decent money while they also express themselves creatively; a development she noted is a good growth.

“I’m happy that poetry and spoken word is taking centre stage now in the entertainment industry, but it is important that we form more poetry clubs amongst our young people to take them through reading sessions. What that is going to do is for young people to learn how to speak in public without feeling intimidated.”

Hon. Dzifa Abla Gomashie was speaking at the launch of a book at PAWA House in Accra titled: Haiku Rhapsodies, authored by Celestine Nudanu.

She expressed her commitment to help open up children to the art of public speaking which will serve as a grooming ground to enable them take the world by storm.

The event which was chaired by Rev. Dr Abamfo Atiemo, former Head of the Department for the Study of Religions at the University of Ghana brought together a host of writers including the President of the Ghana Association of Writers, Dr Ghyesika Agambila and Mr Adjei Agyei-Baah, Founder, African Haiku Network.

What is Haiku?

Haiku in its simplest definition is a Japanese poem of mostly three lines that records a delightful moment in nature. According to Kaeru, it is a short poetry form ‘written on a grain of rice.’ This definition posits the brevity and compactness of this genre.

But though quite short, there lies a moment of ‘aha’ which leaves a lasting impression on the mind of the reader. Haiku as a genre is rather unknown on the Ghanaian literary landscape. It is testimony to Celestine Nudanu uncommon appetite that she has discovered this poignant literary form and has proceeded to espouse it with admirable fervor.

About the book

Haiku Rhapsodies is an exhilarating collection of haiku for lovers of poetry. In Haiku Rhapsodies Celestine Nudanu succeeds in transporting the reader into her world by creating very animated and serene scenes as she explores themes such as nature, death and love. The skill of the haiku poet is brevity and this is Celestine Nudanu’s forte, using few words which like magic are enchanting.

Celestine Nudanu’s collection is also historic. Haiku Rhapsodies explores a field where no Ghanaian poet has ever published in hard print. The reader cannot help but ask for more.

About the Author

Celestine Nudanu is a product of the University of Ghana, Legon. She graduated with a BA in English and Theatre Arts, and MA degree in International Affairs. As well as being a passionate reader and book reviewer, Celestine is also a poet, with a talent for haiku, the short Japanese poetry form.

Although she says she is a work-in-progress, her works have been included in two anthologies: Western Haiku: A Collection, and Ballads, both produced by Dagda Publishing UK.

Her haiku have also been featured in renowned online haiku journals including The Mamba, Journal of African Haiku Network, (of which she is a Supporting Editor) Akita International Haiku Network, Japan, and Flamingo Clouds, Netherlands.

She is a member of the United Haiku and Tanka Society (UHTS), USA. Haiku Rhapsodies is her first publication.

Celestine Nudanu is currently the only committed female Haiku writer who has spent years reading the art of writing Haiku which is laden with a lot of aesthetics, a challenge that discourages less passionate Haiku authors from writing.

She’s a blogger of this kind of literary work which many Africans writers are not practicing currently.