Remembering Efua Sutherland - In her centenary year
Last Tuesday, March 5, 2024, I had to remember an event that took place nearly six decades ago which would have a lasting effect on my outlook, work and life.
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I was in secondary school Form Four at Okuapemman School when our English Literature teacher, founder and organiser of our Writers Club, informed us that an important writer was about to visit our club.
It took us a while to learn that the visitor was the great Efua Sutherland.
I was a lot more excited than most of the other students because I had read her book, Playtime in Africa, which I had at home.
Even those who had not previously known about our august visitor were excited when our teacher, Paddy Animpong, a playwright and a former student of Mrs Sutherland, told us about the lady we would come to know as Aunty Efua.
We were given tasks such as writing poems or learning some lines from her poems and plays and were all set to receive her on a Saturday afternoon.
We gathered in one of the classrooms and sat stiffly in rows as we do for regular classes.
We had notebooks and pens ready.
We were ready to learn how to write, perhaps receive the secret code to literary success.
Aunty Efua's entry was as dramatic as her plays with many twists and turns.
She was tall, graceful and exquisitely turned out in her Ghanaian kaba outfit topped with a headgear which we would later recognise as a trademark.
She scanned the room from left to right and right to left and burst out laughing.
She exclaimed in Fante about our stiff posture and rigid sitting arrangement: "M'awuo, writers na wote ho serious dem yi!".
She asked us to break loose from the rigid class formation and sit in a relaxed semi-circle.
She told us that the creative mind needed to be free from stiffness and lack of flexibility.
Then, she told us to call her Aunty Efua.
That was a critical moment for me.
Suddenly, I could feel the tension and fear exhale from my body as she regaled us with numerous stories and anecdotes.
Instead of providing us with the abracadabra of literary success, she taught us that the stories were all around us.
She charged us to cherish our folktales and folk wisdom.
She told us that our writing lives lay within our identity.
It was our job to find it and unlock it.
I will never forget that day.
A few more interactions happened between some of us and the legendary writer and cultural icon even before we had the opportunity to relate with her at a deeper level in subsequent years.
Last Tuesday, the Estate of Efua Sutherland formally launched her centennial at a short and impressive event at the Mmofra Foundation in Accra.
I had expected a much bigger crowd, but a sterling list of presentations and ideas worthy of the heroine herself compensated for this.
Ghana should be grateful to her children and grandchildren, who have ensured that generations will enjoy the works of this outstanding personality.
Born on June 27, 1924, in Cape Coast, Efua Sutherland was instrumental in the evolution and development of African literature, especially in the mid-20th century.
Her contributions range from her ground-breaking plays to her pivotal role in educational and cultural policy in Ghana.
This centennial should do a lot to get our nation to focus on her impact on the development of literature in Africa, especially her effort to incorporate African traditions into modern contexts and her influence on educational and cultural policies that have shaped the literary landscape of Africa.
Literary Contributions
Efua Sutherland is best known for her plays, among the first to use traditional African theatre forms in written literature.
Works such as "The Marriage of Anansewa" and "Edufa" took inspiration from the rich oral traditions, myths and folklore of Ghana, particularly those of the Akan culture, and served as a bridge between the oral literature of Ghana and the written form, thereby making African traditions more accessible to a global audience.
Her innovative approach to theatre created a unique form of expression that was distinctly African yet universal in appeal.
This was a departure from the previously dominant literature models heavily influenced by European standards and languages.
By embedding African languages, storytelling techniques and narratives into her plays, Sutherland contributed significantly to the decolonisation of African literature.
Educational and Cultural Policy
Beyond her literary efforts, Efua Sutherland was instrumental in shaping Ghana's educational and cultural policy to support the development of the arts.
She was a crucial figure in establishing the Ghana Society of Writers, which later became the Ghana Association of Writers, providing a platform for African writers to showcase their work.
Furthermore, Sutherland's involvement in establishing the Ghana Drama Studio, the Ghana Film Corporation, and the Institute of African Studies at the University of Ghana laid the groundwork for the formal study and promotion of African literature and the arts.
These institutions have played crucial roles in nurturing and developing African talents and scholarship, thereby cementing the continent's place on the global literary stage.
Legacy
Efua Sutherland's legacy in African literature is indelible.
Through her literary work, she played a pivotal role in shaping the form and direction of African literature but also contributed to the broader conversation about post-colonial identity, language and culture.
Her efforts in integrating African traditions into contemporary literature and her influence on educational and cultural policies have ensured that African literary and cultural expressions remain vibrant and relevant.
Her centennial programme reflects her life's interests and works.
There will be theatre productions of her plays and other plays dedicated to her, readings of drama, prose and poetry, literary festivals, storytelling and many such activities.
The Efua Sutherland Estate organises the programme, but there is nothing parochial about its vision, reach, and content.
Mr Akwasi Agyeman, the CEO of the Ghana Tourism Authority, and Mr Yao Agbeko, the Chief Director of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, were on hand to provide a link to the State.
However, the list of supporting organisations and individuals indicates that this is going to be a national event.
Watch this space. There will be much more to say about the Efua Sutherland Centennial in this column.
