By Caleb Kuleke GNA
Ho, July 18, GNA – Ehalakasa, Ghana’s spoken word collective, is appealing to the government to support three of its representatives with flight tickets to represent the country in the 2026 World Poetry Slam Championship in Durban, South Africa.
Yibor Kojo Yibor, Head of the Ehalakasa Team, in a press release signed and copied to the Ghana News Agency, said the three representatives are the National Slam Champion, the country’s Slam Master and Ambassador, and the 2025 National SheShe Slam Champion.
Ehalakasa qualified to represent Ghana at the World Poetry Slam Championship in October, following its semi-final appearance in Brazil in 2023, a fifth-place finish in Togo in 2024, and its victory at the world championship in Mexico in 2025.
The release emphasised that individuals who qualify to represent Ghana in recognised international competitions should receive institutional backing, and that its request is modest, requiring funding for only three return flight tickets.
It maintained that while football continues to attract significant public funding, representatives in other fields are frequently left to depend on personal fundraising and sponsorship.
The release noted that national representation goes beyond football and includes disciplines such as the arts, science, culture, technology and innovation.
Ehalakasa, in the release, proposed the creation of a National Representatives of All Fields Fund to support individuals, groups and organisations officially selected to represent Ghana at recognised international competitions outside football.
It suggested that access to the fund should be based on clear criteria, including official qualification, a proven track record and a reasonable budget focused on essential needs.
The appeal comes after President John Dramani Mahama described the reported cost of nearly US$11,000 per supporter to send fans to the ongoing FIFA World Cup as an unjustifiable use of public funds.
Ehalakasa said it supports the President’s position on fiscal discipline but believes the same principle should apply to all Ghanaians representing the country internationally.
“If footballers representing the state receive such support, why do other Ghanaians who hoist the flag of Ghana on global stages receive silence?” the release asked.
The release appealed to the President, the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Parliament, corporate Ghana and the public to support Ghanaian representatives across fields
including music, comedy, dance, theatre, filmmaking, science, robotics, fashion, debating, visual arts and para-sports.
It said Ehalakasa has worked tirelessly to put Ghana on the global spoken word and poetry stage, and “we are asking for three (3) flight tickets to go represent, our national duty.”
Founded in 2007, Ehalakasa is a Ghanaian spoken word and poetry movement dedicated to promoting performance poetry, literary arts and creative expression.
Through poetry slams, workshops, festivals and international competitions, the collective has helped nurture spoken word artistes in Ghana and represented the country on several global platforms.
GNA
Edited by Maxwell Awumah/Benjamin Mensah