By Hafsa Obeng/Sasel E.A Ekumah, GNA
Accra, Oct. 1, GNA – The National Commission on Culture (NCC), in collaboration with African Poems of Our Time Organisation, has launched a national inter-school poetry recital competition to promote Ghanaian culture.
The competition, on the theme “Celebrating African Heritage Through Poetry”, is also to encourage Senior High School students to use poetry to express themselves and address social issues.
The initiative seeks to provide a national platform for young people to explore their cultural heritage, develop their creative abilities and preserve Ghanaian traditions, languages and values through poetry.
Mr Wakefield Ackuaku, Acting Executive Director of the NCC, said the Commission embraced the initiative because poetry could help preserve idioms, expressions and indigenous languages that were gradually being lost.
He said the programme also aligned with the Commission’s Black Star Experience, which sought to promote Ghanaian culture through different thematic activities.
Mr Ackuaku said February had been dedicated to spoken word, indigenous languages and literary works, adding that the launch formed part of preparations towards those activities.
He said the Commission was also working with an app developer, ZWave, to make poems accessible through smartphones and other devices to widen participation.
According to him, the NCC had opened its cultural spaces across the country to students and the general public for activities that promoted and developed Ghanaian culture.
He said the competition would be organised in three stages, beginning at the district level, followed by the regional level, and culminating in a national competition.
“Winners will be chosen to move to the regional level. When we choose the winners at the regional level, then we will have the national event,” he said.
Mr Ackuaku said the Commission was working to secure sponsorship for the national event and its prizes.
He encouraged students to explore poetry in Ghanaian languages, including Akan, Dagbani, Ewe and Dangbe, saying that would strengthen their connection with their cultural identity.
He also urged parents and traditional authorities to support young poets and incorporate poetry into cultural and traditional events.
Mr Ibrahim Salami, Secretary-General, African Poems of Our Time Organisation, said the organisation started in 2016 to promote African culture, develop students’ vocabulary and encourage creativity among young people.
“ We piloted the programme in Nyakrom in 2023 and at Swedru Senior High School in 2024, before officially launching it as a national programme in collaboration with the NCC, today.”
He said the programme would help students develop a deeper appreciation for Ghanaian culture and encourage them to practise and preserve it in their daily lives.
Mr Salami said the initiative would also use poetry to encourage young people to speak against negative social practices, particularly those associated with the misuse of social media.
He said poetry could provide students with an alternative platform to express themselves positively and contribute to addressing challenges in their communities.
Mr Salami said although the pilot programmes were successful, the organisation faced funding challenges, and appealed to individuals and institutions to support the national initiative.
He said poetry could be used to address social issues such as substance abuse, teenage pregnancy, bullying, environmental degradation, corruption, discrimination, violence, unemployment and irresponsible use of social media.
“We want the competition to go beyond identifying winners to developing young people who could become writers, spoken-word artists, teachers, journalists, cultural ambassadors and leaders.”
GNA
Edited by KennethOdeng Adade
1 Oct. 2026
Reporter : Hafsa Obeng/Sasel E.A Ekumah