The Ghanaian Times coverage of the Burt Award
August 17, 2010
English Speaking Among Youth Becoming Disastrous
By Dzifa Emma Tetteh
Prof. A. N. Mensah, of the English Department of the University of Ghana, has observed that the speaking of English among the youth of Ghana has become very disastrous and needs to be improved immediately.
He said the current crop of students do not read good and inspiring materials anymore , and hoped that both individuals and corporate bodies would help raise the culture of reading.
Speaking during the announcement of the Burt Award Winners for African Writers in Accra, he said it was unfortunate that the public and even students did not read anymore but only studies to pass their examinations.
The Burt Award is a story writing competition organised by CODE, a Canadian non-governmental organisation, and the Ghana Book Trust (GBT) with the support of a Canadian philanthropist, Bill Burt, aimed at inspiring quality writing of African literature among young people in Ghana.
The award will be held annually with titles that reflect a common experience, offer original perspectives and appeal to young readers.
Prof. Mensah, who was one of the jurors, expressed the hope that the institution of the award would help in reviving the culture of reading in the country, and commended the authors for the beautiful stores presented.
He said for the five-member jury made up of teachers, retired educationists, publishers and a Canadian judge had a challenging task to arrive at a winner because many of the scripts were of good quality.
We were, however, guided by language, originality, story, organisation, characters, setting, time and theme to arrive at the three deserving winners for the day , he said.
The Executive Director of the Ghana Book Trust, Mr. Robert K. Amoako, said the winners would receive their awards in November, during the launch of the Ghana International Book Fair in Accra.
He said cash prizes would be given to the authors, while the publisher(s) would win a publishing contract for 5,000 copies per title.
Mr Amoako added that CODE, through the GBT, would guarantee purchase and donate 3,000 copies of the winning titles to schools and libraries in Ghana for use by children who would otherwise not have access to such materials.
The Manager of the Ghana Book Trust, Mr. John Acquah, explained that the distribution would mean that the winning books got into the hands of the young people that the award sought to inspire.
The aim is to play a key role in increasing the number of quality books written for young adults, he stated.
The winning entries for the competition were, The Twelfth Heart , by Mrs Elizabeth-Irene Baitie, a clinical biochemist who will take home GH"16,000 as her prize.
The second was The Deliverer , by Mr. Kwabena Ankomah Kwakye, a Public Relations Officer with a prize of GH"8,000, while the third entry was The Mystery of the Haunted House By Ms Ruby Yayra Goka, a dentist, for a prize of GH"4,000.
Mr Acquah expressed appreciation to Mr. Burt for instituting the award and making a commitment for the next 10 years.
