Oforikromhene and Benkumhene of Techiman Traditional Area, Okogyeaman Kesse Basahyia II
The Oforikromhene and Benkumhene of Techiman Traditional Area, Okogyeaman Kesse Basahyia II, has charged youth in the country – especially students – to desist from reading only examination-based books. Okogyeaman Basahyia II said they should read widely from other books so as to broaden their horizon and acquire enough information for future use.
According to him, reading not only from their area of discipline is key to empowerment and enriching themselves with vast knowledge and information which could later be channelled into writing of books on various topics of interest.
Nana Okogyeaman Kesse Basahyia II made this known in interview on the sideline of the launch of a book titled ‘My pen, My statement’ in Accra on Tuesday, August 1 at the British Council Auditorium; a book on drawings and paintings.
‘My pen, My statement!’ is a 150-page master book catalogued with great arts and illustrations created with pen which seeks to educate students on the fundamentals and rudiments of drawing to help them develop their talents to become great artists in the future.
Touted as the first book of its kind in the history of Ghana, the book, which contains illustrations and paintings seeking to serve as a guide to students who want to learn drawing, was authored by one of the finest writers in the country –Isaac K. Appiah – who also doubles as a lecturer at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi.
Explaining why it is important for students to cultivate the habit of reading widely beyond their scope of discipline, Nana Okogyeaman Kesse Basahyia II said: “You see former President John Agyekum Kufuor’s brother, Dr. Kwame Addo-Kufuor was not a soldier but served as a Defense Minister, the same applied to Major Courage Quashigah who wasn’t also a medical doctor but served as a Health Minister including several other positions to mention a few”.
“So what you’re likely to be in the future is not depended on your area of discipline but the wider you read the more you get access to enough information so that when you’re brought to the fore you should be able to exhibit them and people will see that indeed you’ve read.”
Sharing his thoughts on the book, the General Manager for Adwinsa Publications Limited, Kwaku Oppong Amponsah, commended the author for the great initiative. He described the book as something which is not common in the system because “it’s on illustrations and actually there are no books specifically on illustration of students”. “So this is the first of its kind and we’re proud to be associated with it,” he stressed.
