Two books of Efo Kojo Mawugbe launched in Accra
The General Secretary of the Ghana Association of Writers, Dr Camynta Baezie, has lauded the late Efo Kojo Mawugbe for his invaluable contribution to education and the development of the country.
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He said the writer was one person who should be celebrated by the entire country based on his works in the education sector.
Dr Baezie said this when he launched two books of the late Efo Mawugbe in Accra.
The ceremony was organised by the Efo Kodjo Mawugbe Foundation and Afram Publication. It coincided with Efo Mawugbe’s birthday, which fell on April 21.
About the books
The books are titled ‘Prison Graduates’, Mawugbe’s play which won the BBC International Radio Playwriting Competition in 2009 and ‘My Father’s Song,’ the late writer’s only novel.
The Prison Graduate is a story of four prisoners who were released from prison but suddenly realised that they were not ready to take advantage of their freedom. It is a highly intriguing satire that shows the failure of African states after independence.
The play is a political satire set in Ghana, and talks about serious issues on a light note. It highlights situations in Ghana and Africa as a whole; these include young and energetic people paying huge sums of money to go abroad to seek greener pastures. It also talks about the situation where churches are corrupt and the congregation is naïve.
As part of the launch, The Prison Graduates was performed.
My Father’s Song was the late writers first novel and also his last work of art. He was in the process of publishing that book when he fell ill and died.
This story is told from a song a father composed and sang to his son, the author, when he was young.The story is set in the olden days when men and animals could talk and undertand each other.
Alegeli (Rat), Dzakpata (Snake) and Zangbetor (a spirit) are stuck in a pit and on the verge of death. They are rescued by Klogo, a poor hunter, and all three promise to help the hunter one day.
Patronise books
The Director of Curriculum of the Ghana Education Service, Mrs Cynthia Bosomtwi Sam, in a brief speech, expressed the hope that the books would go a long way to improve the reading habit of schoolchildren.
She encouraged the youth to patronise the novel to support the work of the author.
The chairperson of Afram Publications Ghana Ltd, Professor Esi Sutherland-Addy, said the company was happy to bring out the two books of Efo Mawugbe and that they were co-operating with the Efo Kodjo Mawugbe Foundation on the possibility of publishing more of the award-winning writer’s plays.
She said the publishing house had been in the forefront of publishing Ghanaian literature and textbooks for the schools, adding that the best way to support the initiative was to buy a copy of the book.
