By Lawrencia Akoto Frempong
Tema, Aug. 19, GNA- Thousands of book lovers have been visiting the Tema Port to participate in the largest floating book fair onboard the Logos Hope Ship, which has berthed at the port.
The Logos Hope berthed at the Tema Port on August 7, 2024, and would be at the port till September 8, 2024, offering the opportunity to visitors to buy their favourite books while touring the vessel.
Ms Navya Lankadasu, the media relations officer for Logos Hope, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview that since they arrived in Ghana, over 5,000 visitors had visited the ship and hoped to get more before leaving the docks of Tema to Takoradi.
She said the ship would be at the Takoradi Port between September 10 and September 30, 2024, from where they would sail to Freetown in Sierra Leone.
“Our opening hours have been from 13:00 hours to 18:00 hours every day except on Mondays since our arrival, but we have made accommodations to open up early from August 29 between the hours of 11:00 hours to 19:00 hours,” she said.
She said Logos Hope loved to see smiles on people’s faces, especially children because it may be their first time visiting a floating book fair and they wished to have more interactions with them.
Giving a brief about the vessel, she said it had nine decks, which included a dining room, book fair, library, kitchen, and many others.
Ms Lankadasu stated that there were also five lifeboats on the ship that were used in emergency situations with trained and qualified volunteers who assisted in the maintenance of the ship while on board.
Again, there were about 350 crew members from over 65 nationalities on board volunteering and sharing their expertise on issues with visitors, as well as interacting with different cultures across the world.
She said the crew and staff onboard were non-salaried volunteers, including many serving in their professional capacities as seafarers, engineers, electricians, nurses, teachers, and cooks.
The media relations officer said the mission of Logos Hope was to share knowledge with the people through the book fair, help them through the provision of aid and relief as a practical demonstration of God’s love for mankind, and share hope with people through the transformative stories they tell.
Ms Lankadasu explained that to volunteer as a crew member, one must be fluent in English, as it was the main communicative language on board, and must be above the age of 18 and have a specific field of training.
The crew members on board were involved in some humanitarian projects, such as the EyeGlass Project, where they went into some communities to conduct free eye tests for residents and provide them with spectacles.
She further said that they also partnered with some of the locals to offer services and engage in sports activities with children, adults, and senior citizens, expressing the hope to have more activities before leaving Ghana.
She encouraged people to visit the ship, interact with the crew members, and learn about each other’s cultures to build relationships.
GNA