Children’s Literature in Ghana
For my blog post I have chosen to write about children’s literature in Ghana Africa. Part of West Africa, Ghana is one of the leaders of democracy in the region. However, they are only ranked 33rd on the continent for literacy rates at 57.7% and are well outside the top 10 for education systems (Ranking of African Countries). Like most of Africa, the written literature in Ghana has roots in oral literary traditions such as folktales, myths, legends, songs, proverbs and riddles (Yitah). All this literature tries to teach the cultural heritage of the nation. Before 1957 when Ghana gained their independence from Britain, Children were largely exposed to literature of the West. Translations of English folktales and legends were the most predominant form of children’s literature (Yitah). Since their independence there has been an increase in Ghanaian Children’s literature reflecting the sociocultural environment post-independence (Yitah).
Although still low the literacy among children specifically has grown since Ghana’s independence. English was adopted as the national language and much of the literature taught was in English. To this day very little literature is written in the traditional languages that most children speak at home (Komasi). The first transformation of literature was adaptations of old folktales to reflect current realities in the country (Yitah). An example of this is Peggy Appiah’s Afua and the Mouse. Following adaptations, many folktales reconstructed to represent reality rather than fantasy. For example, Afua and the Magic Calabash tells a story of a maltreated orphan girl who has a magic calabash. Rather then a happy ending, the story ends with calabash being destroyed by her foster mother (Komasi). Stories like this reflected the harsh political and economic times Ghana was going through during the 1980’s (Yitah). One trends since the end of the 20th century includes non-fiction books about the natural environment. Stories like Agyapong-Danquah’s King of the Trees and S.Y. Manu’s The Golden Cocoa Pod are first person narratives that grab young readers attention while teaching them about the geography around them (Yitah).
Today many books are produced in series. This is an indication of the increased volume of production of children’s books and the greater interest taken by publishers in this genre (Yitah). Children’s literature has grown tremendously in Ghana since the colonial times but there can still be improvements. Many books are of low production quality; mostly printed in black and white with poor materials (Yitah). The predominant language is still English rather than the native languages of Ghana. Finally, children’s literature in Ghana has avoided pressing issues in the country such as AIDS and child trafficking (Komasi). As literacy rates and the education system continue to improve, Children’s literature in Ghana is only expected to get better. Like most places in the world, Ghanaian Children’s literature teaches kids about traditions and morals, while discussing the realities of today’s world.
Works Cited:
Komasi, Mabel. “Children’s Literature in Ghana: A Survey.” Children’s Literature, vol. 37, 2009, pp. 236–255., doi:https://doi.org/10.1353/chl.0.0816.
“Ranking of African Countries By Literacy Rate: .” Africlandpost, www.africlandpost.com/ranking-african-countries-literacy-rate-zimbabwe-1/.
Yitah, Helen, and Mabel Komasi. “Authenticity, Past and Present in Ghanaian Children’s Literature.” Children’s Literature in Education, 2010, doi:10.10007/s10583-009-9095-y.