Nii Martey M. Botchway
Accra, Aug 9, GNA – Afram Publications Limited (APL), has held a storytelling performance of two children’s books authored by Prof Efua Theodora Sutherland as part of activities marking the 2024 Ghana International Book Fair.
The performance also formed part of activities leading up to the Efua Sutherland Centenary Project to mark the 100th year anniversary of the birth of the celebrated Ghanaian Playwright, Poet, Educator, and Pan-Africanist.
The books, Voice in the Forest, and Tahinta, published by APL, were read by Ms Elisabeth Efua Sutherland and Mary Addis-Ababa Ackwerh respectively, with background music from Nene Narh and Akiva.
Ms Harriet Adelaide Tagoe, the Managing Director, and Publisher of APL, said the performance, among other things, was aimed at inspiring the legacy of Prof Sutherland in literature and child development.
She said, having been one of the first indigenous publishers in Ghana, Prof Sutherland’s contribution towards Ghanaian literature and the publishing industry cannot be overlooked.
Ms Tagoe indicated that Prof Sutherland’s journey with APL spans a period of 50 years and counting, when she launched Afram Publications Limited in 1973.
“We are not just holding a performance, but celebrating the legacy of a pioneer,” she said.
Present at the ceremony was Prof Esi Sutherland, daughter of Prof Efua Sutherland, and Board Chairman of Afram Publications Limited.
The ceremony was also attended by a number of school children and parents.
Born on June 27, 1924, Prof Efua Theodora Sutherland was a Ghanaian playwright, director, researcher, children’s author, poet, dramatist, educationist, researcher, child advocate and cultural activist.
She died on January 21, 1996 at age 71.
Prof Efua Sutherland’s best-known works include Foriwa (1962), Edufa (1967), and The Marriage of Anansewa (1975).
A statement issued by the anniversary committee said, activities during the whole centenary year would focus on Prof Sutherland’s life, work, remarkable presence and influence in events and celebrations world-wide.
It said, the Project hoped to revive and strengthen her legacy, and to re-introduce her to new generations at home and abroad.
A pioneer in establishing post-independence cultural institutions, she founded the Ghana Society of Writers, the Ghana Experimental Theatre, and the Ghana Drama Studio.
As one of the earliest Ghanaian playwright-directors she is regarded a key personality in the development of modern Ghanaian theatre.
GNA