• The Library Tree: How a Canadian Woman Brought the Joy of Reading to a Generation of African Children

    “You are proof that the vision and actions of just one person can make a tremendous difference in so many lives!” — Michaelle Jean, former Governor General of Canada, following a visit to the Nima Library, November 2006

    It began one afternoon in the shade of a tree in the yard of a Canadian woman living in Ghana, West Africa. Kathy Knowles brought out a basketful of books thinking she might amuse the neighbourhood kids by reading to them.

    Over 20 years, that simple storytelling session morphed into seven large community libraries in impoverished areas of the country’s capital, support for more than 200 similar initiatives around Ghana and other African countries, and a publishing venture that produces children’s books tailor-made for the African culture.

    Kathy Knowles now runs her volunteer-based Osu Children’s Library Fund from her Winnipeg home with twice-yearly trips to Ghana. Her work promoting libraries and literacy in Africa has been recognised internationally. Her unflagging enthusiasm has created bricks-and-mortar projects and has brought the wonder of reading to thousands of children.

  • Gathering Seaweed: African Prison Writing (African Writers Series)

    This anthology introduces the African literature of incarceration to the general reader, the scholar, the activist and the student. The visions and prison cries of the few African nationalists imprisoned by colonialists, who later became leaders of their independent dictatorships and in turn imprisoned their own writers and other radicals, are brought into sharper focus, thereby critically exposing the ironies of varied generations of the efforts of freedom fighters.

    Extracts of prose, poetry and plays are grouped into themes such as arrest, interrogation, torture, survival, release and truth and reconciliation.

    Contributors include: Kunle Ajibade, Obafemi Awolowo, Steve Biko, Breyten Breytenbach, Dennis Brutus, Nawal El Saadawi, M J Kariuki, Kenneth Kaunda, Caesarina Kona Makhoere, Nelson Mandela, Emma Mashinini, Felix Mnthali, Augustino Nato, Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Kwame Nkrumah, Abe Sachs, Ken Saro Wiwa, Wole Soyinka, and Koigi wa Wamwere.

    Although an often harrowing indictment of the history, culture and politics of the African continent and the societies from which this literature comes, the anthology presents excellent prose, poetry and drama, which stands up in its own right as serious literature to be cherished, read and studied.

  • Abrokyire Nkomo

    For many Africans, the dream of travelling to Europe or America represents a burning lifetime ambition that they would do anything (well, almost) to achieve. So what is it really like out there? What is the story behind the rosy images of the west that are beamed to Africa on television, in movies and in the glossy magazines? What is the reality behind the grim stories we hear at times from our friends and relatives abroad? Just how hard, or easy, is it out there? This book is a collection of a number of articles written by the author and seeks to address these issues. Written in a conversational style, it is an attempt to provide an interesting, witty, yet serious insight into the good, the bad and the ugly sides of life abroad, and raises several issues that should engage the attention of the contemporary African whether at home or abroad.

    Abrokyire Nkomo

    110.00
  • Dark Days in Ghana

    Kwame Nkrumah, foremost exponent of African unity and socialism, never saw Ghana in isolation from the rest of Africa or from the world revolutionary struggle.

    In Dark Days in Ghana, he exposed the true nature of the military-police dictatorship that was established after the overthrow of Ghana’s Constitutional Government on 24th February 1966, setting the event in the context of the wider continental and world situation.

    Dark Days in Ghana demolishes the “big lie” that Ghana had needed to be rescued from “economic chaos”. Nkrumah recounts the systematic sell-out of Ghana’s assets to neo-colonialist interests by the military-police junta, and the subsequent reduction of Ghana from democratic statehood to the humiliating position of neo-colony.

    Since this book was first published, Ghana has had several governments − military and civilian. None have succeeded in restoring Ghana to the position it occupied in Africa and the world during Nkrumah’s stewardship.

    This and other works of Nkrumah demonstrate the accuracy of Nkrumah’s political and philosophical vision, and the clarity of his understanding of the problems and possibilities for all those resisting oppression and exploitation throughout the world, and for the continuing development of continental African unity.

  • Sam: A Life of Service to God and Country

    Lawyer. Politician. Democracy and human rights activist. Prisoner of conscience. Rotarian. Father. Grandfather.

    These are among the many roles Sam Okudzeto is most proud of. In his very easy-to-read memoir, SAM: A Life of Service to God and Country, he describes the journey from his village childhood, through his education in Europe, and finally to his life in the legal profession, politics and civil society of Ghana. As one who personally knew many of Ghana’s founding fathers and giants, and was active in politics during the seminal moments after independence, he offers a unique perspective of the people and events that shaped the history of Ghana and the growth of its democracy. He sheds light on the origins of many issues and shares his regrets such of the boycott by the legal profession during the drafting of the current Constitution in 1992 and the impact that boycott has had on national governance.

    In this must-read memoir, he shares many lessons from a life spent on the frontlines of human endeavor. Now in his 80s, and with a life well-lived, Sam Okudzeto hopes that the current generation of Ghana will continue to build upon the foundation laid by his pioneering generation.

    “Uncle Sam as some of us know him is iconic. He is larger than life in his profession, his faith and his service to humanity. His memoir deepens our respect for his intellect and joie de vivre and provide steps for us to emulate his rich and blessed life.” – Rev. Dr. Joyce Aryee, Executive Director, Salt & Light Ministries, Management and Communications Consultant
    “There are people you meet in life who change you. Their goodness, their kindness, their willingness to speak out for what is just and right make you look at the world in a different light. They inspire you simply by being themselves. Sam is one of those persons in my life. He is a giant in the field of law. In the fifteen years I have known him I have witnessed endless times where he has brought insight and compassion and leadership to the issues at hand. I have been in awe of Sam for these many years. Someone once said that fate chooses out relatives, we choose our friends. My friendship with Sam is cherished gift.” – Dr. Mark S. Ellis, Executive Director, International Bar Association
    “Sam’s reputation as a redoubtable and fearless advocate for the rule the law, truth and integrity has won him the respect and admiration of his peers, juniors and even his harshest critics. He is indeed a legal colossus, a true patriot with a strong moral character and an unswerving passion for pursuing the cause of right without fear of might. He is a very warm and wonderful, human being – a selfless, compassionate lover of people who seeks the good, happiness and progress of others. Above all else, Sam is a man of faith who loves the Lord with all his heart.” – Her Ladyship Georgina T. Wood, Former Chief Justice of Ghana
  • Stones Tell Stories at Osu

    Stones Tell Story at Osu is a creative biographical account of the Slave Trade at Osu, one of the leading slave trading centres off the West African Coast.

    Wellington employs a metaphorical device through the voice of the narrator, Ataa Forkoye, to provoke discussion, dissolve the shame and confusion associated with the slave trade and to persuade the current generation of Africans to abandon the taboo of not speaking about it.

    Wellington, an architect by profession, does this by rummaging through the remaining physical ruins of the slave trade, picks up the stones one by one to construct a compelling narrative through the amalgam of values, conflicting colonial hegemony, layers of economic syncretism and the collision of cultures to bring to life the force of the relationship between the Europeans and their African counterparts.

    Stones Tell Story at Osu has brought together the untold “fragmented” pieces of the story of the slave trade this side of the Atlantic and serves as the missing puzzle to those who seek answers.

    Wellington’s rich narrative style still shines in this long-awaited second edition, a book that will tug at the curiosity of historians, anthropologists and students of English and Literature in high schools and universities alike and an engaging traveling companion that resists being laid down.

  • FaceOff With The International ‘MP’

    Face-Off With the International ‘MP’ is a compilation of short stories, drama, different purposed letters, and jest, all garnished with an unusual but perfect mix of satire, wit and logic. The book walks readers through the experiences of the only ‘Member of Parliament’ representing a virtual constituency. The book brings to life issues in politics, romance, educational and career experiences both home and abroad, and short memos – files that the International ‘MP’ deals with 24/7. The right dose of laughter, the fluidity of Nkrumah-Boateng’s unmatched imagery, the apt description of everything Ghanaian plus the solitary enjoyment of his entitlement as the only untenured MP combine to make this book a must-read.

    “I introduce to you a reverently irreverent writer who pulls no punches, wears no kids’ gloves, bars no holds and suffers no fools gladly. There is not a topic that Rodney is shy to address, and frontally and bluntly too.” — Anan Anan Ankomah, Managing Partner, Bentsi-Enchill, Letsa & Ankomah

    “Rodney glides you along on a momentum of choleric rhetoric and suddenly explodes your mind into an amusement park of satire, laced with intelligent and exciting lines of literary mischief.” — Jason Tutu, Research & Development Expert

    “Nkrumah-Boateng uniquely mixes truth and poetic satire: his wit, crisp humour, eloquence and fluid writing style, and the heretical elegance with which he makes his points, made you want to kick something…Little wonder a major radio station mistook his satirical narrative as fact, and serialized it on radio!” — Kofi Bentil, Lawyer/Vice President, IMANI

    “Rodney’s writing always leaves me wanting more.” — Dr. Victor Bampoe, Former Deputy Minister for Health

  • Going to Town

    Professor Paul Archibald Vianney Ansah (1938-1993), Ex-Director of the School of Communication Studies, University of Ghana; reputed scholar, communicator, journalist, critic; a devout Christian, an uncompromising advocate of democracy, freedom and justice; generous, humorous, pedantic, but also defiant and choleric. Close associates called him “Uncle Paul”; his students made an acronym of him: PAVA. The world knows him as P.A.V. Ansah. His death on 14th June, 1993, created a big void in journalism, and dented the writer’s crusade against oppression and dictatorship in Africa.
    From 1968 when he assumed the editorial seat of The Legon Observer until his death, the name Paul Ansah became perhaps the most revered epitome of incisive journalism in Ghana. By 14th June, 1993 when he died, P.A.V. Ansah, over a quarter of a century had succeeded in perfecting a paradigm in Ghana’s journalistic tradition. Write-and-be damned was its hallmark, and Going-to-Town its colloquial shibboleth. Avid readers of Paul Ansah’s column in The Ghanaian Chronicle weekly, for which he wrote in his last years, eventually got used to the ominous prelude of his weekly sojourns to town.
    In this book, the editors put together a selection of the newspaper contributions of Paul Ansah from 1991 till his death in June 1993. The articles were mostly published in his column in the Ghanaian Chronicle, but also include his contributions in the Free Press, Independent, and the Standard.
    His writings, reflecting a broad range of themes, have been grouped under four overlapping headings: Media, Politics, Society, and International.

    Going to Town

    90.00
  • Nsempiisms

    Listed as one of the top ten exceptional non-fiction writers from Ghana by Gird Center, Nana Awere Damoah brings to his readers another must-read, this time a fast-paced, short, straight-to-the-point, shot-from-the-hip, collection. The author proves why he is seen as one of the rising voices of his homeland, using words to speak truth to power.

    “Nana Awere Damoah is a multi-talented writer [who] believes in creating his own style anytime he writes. In his non-fiction writing, Nana introduces a diversity of style using poetry, storytelling and satire.” Gird Center

    “I envy the mind of Nana Awere Damoah. Nsempiisms is deep, insightful and piercing, yet Damoah’s writing flows with breezy simplicity.” Kwaku Sintim-Misa (KSM)

    Nsempiisms

    45.00
  • Sebitically Speaking

    Sebitically Speaking is an uplifting elixir that courses through the hearts and minds of readers and awakens their consciousness regarding how to improve themselves and their country. In confronting the complicated issues that perpetually frustrate Ghanaians, Damoah’s style was not to depress or provoke insanity, but to deftly inspire readers with a view to affecting positive change.

    For someone who has written four great books, Sebitically Speaking is an incontrovertible confirmation of Damoah’s literary genius. His uncanny ability to transform debilitating and chaotic socio-political topics into an exhilarating literary rollercoaster, using a perfect blend of wit and humour, and inducing a mixture of laughter and tears from readers, is especially evident in this book.

    Sebitically Speaking is an irresistible literary tiger nut that every lover of Ghana must chew.

  • I Speak of Ghana

    It’s a rare person who can be both funny and wise at the same time. Yet that is exactly the way to describe Nana Awere Damoah’s writings in this small but compelling short story collection about contemporary life in Ghana. In it the reader will find Ghanaman in traffic, or Ghanawoman paying the corrupt policeman. Either way, one knows these are the words of a master story teller who handily blurs the lines between laughing so hard it makes one cry, or crying so hard it makes one laugh.

    I Speak of Ghana is an honest journey of deft oration replete with the sounds (from the harmonious to the cacophonic), smells (including the pleasant and unpleasant), sights (from the eye-catching to the embarrassing), frustrations, triumphs and the mundane – everything that makes the Ghanaian experience finds its way into this book. Unlike the typical ranting about Ghanaian situations, Nana performs an insightful examination of the heart of the matter. Dissimilar to empty praise, Nana thoroughly embraces the issues that give us hope as people connected to Ghana. Narrated with humor, the book is Nana’s eloquence at its best.

  • Selected Speeches of Kwame Nkrumah (Volume 2)

    The death of Kwame Nkrumah, first President of Ghana, demonstrated a great irony: a man so much maligned and rejected in life, should be so praised and loved in death. The force of his personality, his convictions in the face of powerful opposition, and his vision for Ghana and a pan-Africa, are evident in his speeches. The speeches in this second of five volumes are arranged chronologically.

  • Selected Speeches of Kwame Nkrumah (Volume 1)

    The death of Kwame Nkrumah, first President of Ghana, demonstrated a great irony: a man so much maligned and rejected in life, should be so praised and loved in death. The force of his personality, his convictions in the face of powerful opposition, and his vision for Ghana and a pan-Africa, are evident in his speeches. The forty-seven speeches in this first of five volumes are arranged chronologically, and were all made in the year 1960.

  • Africa in Search of Prosperity

    Africa is a major player in global economic engineering. It is also a great development partner, a vital player in the economies of Asian nations who are eager to explore long awaited market possibilities that it presents by forging alliances with hi-growth emerging economies in Africa.

    This new economic order is shifting the developmental narratives as Africa’s rich potential market has become more attractive with a population of nearly one billion.

    The author of this book is a long time transnational business executive. Although he indicates a level of despair at times, he is quite hopeful of Africa’s prospects. His lived experience as an economist and policy advisor to Presidents, is reflected in these essays that address developmental issues from the colonial economy with those of the new states.

    In this, the author uses the experience of Ghana as an example and a site for an analytical perspective. He examines and writes about the issues of natural resource exploration, the oil economy, human skills and also looks at the vital factors of education, religion and the attendant attitudes to development.

  • Recipe For Light Soup

    Age Range: 6 – 10 years

    My Auntie Halima is the best cook in all of Tamale. All the women and labourers like to eat at her food bar. But guess what happens that afternoon the neighbourhood dogs start barking loud? Join Auntie Halima, Brother James, Mama Abena and Foreman Out and his men in this enjoyable tale about Tamale’s best food bar.

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