By Ernest Nutsugah
Accra, Aug. 10, GNA – Ms Elizabeth Kwatsoe Sackey, Accra Mayor, has advised parents to encourage children to read and speak Ghanaian languages alongside English and other international languages at home and school.
Speaking at the opening of the 20th Ghana International Book Fair (GIBF) in Accra on Thursday, she expressed concern over the emerging trend where some parents introduced English to their wards at a tender age but paid less attention to other Ghanaian languages.
“I cannot imagine a Ghanaian child who has grown up and cannot express him or herself in a local language. It is important that as we try to help the children to speak English and speak it fluently, we still have to encourage them to speak a local language.
“We do not want to see a tree grown before we try to make it stand straight. We can learn when we are very young and not when we are old,” she said.
She asked parents to add Ghanaian language titles to the library of their wards and guide them accordingly, stressing that, “good things are hidden in books.”
GIBF seeks to encourage creative writing and promote reading across different age groups. It is also an avenue for publishers, authors, booksellers, and avid readers, to converge and celebrate books while discovering and reconnecting with new and renowned authors.
The four-day event on the theme: “Reading to connect minds for social transformation” is hosting about 97 exhibitors from various countries, including Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, India, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Guinea and Ireland.
An array of books from various genres are on display. Workshops, literacy games and films, celebrity author book signing, and other activities have been scheduled as part of the Fair which ends on Sunday, August 13, 2023.
GNA