Selection of Accra for the celebration of the World Book Capital city (WBC) in 2023

Every year on 23 April, World Book Day is celebrated by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a symbolic date for world literature.

The celebration of the world book capital is admired worldwide by all book-loving countries that are in the business of promoting literacy. The idea is carrying out activities with the aim of encouraging a culture of reading and diffusing its values in all ages and population groups in and out of the national borders.

It all began in 1995 when UNESCO decided to celebrate 23rd April as World Book Day and since then, the date has been marked in the history of literature. A special effort has been made to involve all regions of the world in turn, in conformity with the principle of geographic balance, and following different quality criteria.

Counting down on the memory lane, some countries that have hosted the programme included Antwerp (Belgium) in 2004, Montreal (Canada) in 2005, Turin (Italy) in 2006, Bogota (Colombia) in 2007 and Amsterdam (The Netherlands) in 2008.
The 2022 edition will be hosted by Guadalajara (Mexico). It is worth noting and jubilating as Accra (Ghana) has been selected to host the 2023 World Book Capital Day.

Accra, Ghana has been chosen based on its proactiveness in promoting books as a tool for literacy and economic development. This is worth celebrating not only the book industry players but also all well-meaning Ghanaians. There will be a rich and varied array of programmes for a wide reach and maximum impact.

There shall be programmes for children and youth, arts and culture, library and community development and deliberate plans for sustainability beyond the World Book Capital year.

Furthermore, Ghana has a track record of a strong human rights dimension, which aims to raise public awareness about freedom of information and expression, building on its own promotion of these rights as well as its involvement in World Press Freedom Day celebrations.

The city of Accra has been identified as a place of high marginal groups with high levels of illiteracy including women, youth, migrants, street children and persons with disabilities hence selecting it for the 2023 World Book Capital is not out of place.

Measures to be implemented during the period will include reinforcing school and community infrastructure and institutional support for lifelong learning, in order to foster the culture of reading. By championing the publishing sector and other creative industries, the programme will also aim at encouraging professional skills development to stimulate the country’s socio-economic transformation. This agenda will involve not only the book industry players but also non-stakeholders including the media, industry and commerce.

Cities designated as UNESCO World Book Capital undertake to promote books and reading for all ages and population groups, within and across national borders, and to organize a programme of activities for the year. The activities will include the following:

1. the introduction of mobile libraries to reach marginalized groups

2. the holding of workshops to promote reading and writing of books in different Ghanaian languages

3. the establishment of skills and training centre for unemployed youth

4. the organization of competitions to showcase Ghanaian arts and culture

5. the promotion of inclusivity.

The success of the celebration will largely depend on the degree of participation of all key players in the industry which include the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Tourism Arts and Culture, Ghana Book Development Council, Ghana Education Service, Ghana Publishers Association, Ghana Association of Writers and Ghana Library Authority with support from the Government.

Besides, the scope and quality of the activities proposed and the extent to which they involve writers, publishers, booksellers and libraries and the extent to which the programme respects the principles of freedom of expression.

All efforts must be made to stamp out any challenge that will emerge against the smooth celebration of this noble idea and to continue to work to rescue our society from the grip of those who stand against the progress and liberty that literacy brings.

Today, books have brought the world together as a family, united by a shared thirst for knowledge, linked by the common desire to advance the written word for benefit of the individual and the society.

Ghana book development efforts will receive a major boost in 2023 with the celebration of the World Book Capital in Ghana. It will bring education to the forefront of our national consciousness and trigger off more attention to the books in our personal and national life.

It also puts Ghana on the world map for achievement related to books – an area where we have unparalleled laurels with authors such as Nobel Laureate, Prof. Atukwei Okai, Ama Ata Aidoo, Ayi Kwei Armah, Prof. Kofi Awunoor and Prof. Kofi Anyidoho.

It is believed that the WBC project will promote Ghanaian and African writers by featuring a book of the month in the 12 months of our tenure, and will nurture artistic talent by collaborating with the Universities to adapt and promote the use of Ghanaian books in the tertiary institutions.

The Ghana Library Authority could take advantage to set up “seed” libraries in indigent communities such as orphanages, prisons, homes for street children and homes for handicapped children. They could also run book clubs in selected schools in the metropolis and with a strong collaboration with the Ghana Publishers Association.

The yearlong celebration will help build human capacity by training teachers and volunteers to run the book clubs for sustainability even after the year. The volunteers could also be trained in several other skills, which would remain with them.

By this, the organizers will depict the history of books in Ghana through an epic dance drama and collaboration with some prominent Ghanaian musicians to come up with a WBC theme song. By this, we will take the reading campaign into the domain of popular music culture for wider appeal.

The WBC will showcase Ghana’s rich literary heritage – our authors and literature and boost the tourism sector in the sense that as a result of this nomination, Ghana will hold several new visitors. We will collaborate with several international partners and as a result of the various programmes, they will come to Ghana.

The celebration will groom writers through the running of writers’ workshops, writing exercises that involved secondary school students and organisations, a national essay competition for students in tertiary institutions.

We must state that with any endeavour of this nature, the true level of success may not be immediately apparent. This programme would have a long-term effect. Its true benefits may be felt more in the years to come.

The Ghana Publishers Association believes that change has begun in our society, through books. There is a renewing of the mind that should result in better values and character building, particularly amongst our young people that would ultimately change society for the better.

We are grateful to UNESCO for this opportunity.

Asare Konadu Yamoah
(President, GPA)