The Pan African Writers' Association (PAWA), founded in November 1989, is a

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

-based cultural institution "born in the larger crucible of

Pan Africanism Pan-Africanism is a worldwide movement that aims to encourage and strengthen bonds of solidarity between all Indigenous and diaspora peoples of African ancestry. Based on a common goal dating back to the Atlantic slave trade, the movement exte ...

" that is an umbrella body of writers' associations on the African continent and the

Diaspora A diaspora ( ) is a population that is scattered across regions which are separate from its geographic place of origin. Historically, the word was used first in reference to the dispersion of Greeks in the Hellenic world, and later Jews after ...

. The mission of PAWA, unanimously accepted at its inaugural congress in November 1989, in

Accra Accra (; tw, Nkran; dag, Ankara; gaa, Ga or ''Gaga'') is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , ...

, is "to strengthen the cultural and economic bonds between the people on the African continent against the background of the continent's acknowledged diverse but rich cultural, political and economic heritage.""Brief History of PAWA"
PAWA website. The highlight of the PAWA calendar is the annual lecture, given by noted African writers.

History

The Constituent Congress of PAWA was held at the Kwame Nkrumah Conference Centre, Accra,

, from 7 to 11 November 1989 under the theme: "African Unity; A Liberation of the Mind". Representatives from more than 36 countries formally signed the Declaration and Constitution that led to the establishment of PAWA. PAWA now comprises the 52 national writers associations on the African continent. The position of Secretary General of PAWA was held by Professor

Atukwei Okai Atukwei John Okai (15 March 1941 – 13 July 2018) was a Ghanaian poet, cultural activist and academic. He was Secretary-General of the Pan African Writers' Association, and a president of the Ghana Association of Writers. His early work was publi ...

from 1989 until his death in 2018. In 1992, the Secretariat of PAWA, located in Accra's Roman Ridge neighbourhood, was granted full diplomatic status by the government of Ghana.

International African Writers' Day, 7 November

In 1991, the Conference of African Ministers of Education and Culture, meeting in

Cotonou Cotonou (; fon, Kútɔ̀nú) is a city in Benin. Its official population count was 679,012 inhabitants in 2012; however, over two million people live in the larger urban area. The urban area continues to expand, notably toward the west. The ci ...

Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north ...

, resolved to establish 7 November, the day on which PAWA was founded, as International African Writers' Day, which is now celebrated throughout the continent.Femi Akomolafe
"The PAWA of Africa’s literati"
''New African'', 9 December 2014. In November 2015, more than 300 writers and scholars gathered to commemorate the 22nd International African Writers’ Day at a three-day conference, held in Accra, that took as its theme "Celebrating the life and works of

Chinua Achebe Chinua Achebe (; 16 November 1930 – 21 March 2013) was a Nigerian novelist, poet, and critic who is regarded as the dominant figure of modern African literature. His first novel and ''magnum opus'', ''Things Fall Apart'' (1958), occupies ...

: The Coming of Age of African Literature?", with a keynote address by

Henri Lopès Henri Lopes (born 12 September 1937)''International Who's Who of Authors and Writers 2004'', Europa Publications, p. 339.

and presentations by

James Currey James Currey is a former academic publisher specialising in African Studies which since 2008 has been an imprint of Boydell & Brewer. It is named after its founder who established the company in 1984. It publishes on a full spectrum of topics� ...

Margaret Busby Margaret Yvonne Busby, , Hon. FRSL (born 1944), also known as Nana Akua Ackon, is a Ghanaian-born publisher, editor, writer and broadcaster, resident in the UK. She was Britain's youngest and first black female book publisherJazzmine Breary"Let' ...

and others in honour of Achebe.Evelyn Osagie
"Echoes of Achebe’s works at writers’ show"
''The Nation'' (Nigeria), 25 November 2015. In 2017, the keynote address at a colloquium marking the 24th International African Writers' Day was given by President

Nana Addo Akufo-Addo Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo ( ; born 29 March 1944) is a Ghanaian politician who has served as the president of Ghana since 7 January 2017. In 2020, he was re-elected for his second term, which will end on 6 January 2025. Akufo-Addo previously ...

Activities

PAWA has engaged in activities that have included conferences, readings, lectures, performances, visits, writing competitions and training, as well as honouring African writers."Chronicles of PAWA Activities (1989–2013)".
/ref> Many leading African thinkers and writers have played prominent roles PAWA's activities, including Nobel Laureates

Wole Soyinka Akinwande Oluwole Babatunde Soyinka (Yoruba: ''Akínwándé Olúwọlé Babátúndé Ṣóyíinká''; born 13 July 1934), known as Wole Soyinka (), is a Nigerian playwright, novelist, poet, and essayist in the English language. He was awarded t ...

and

Nadine Gordimer Nadine Gordimer (20 November 192313 July 2014) was a South African writer and political activist. She received the 1991 Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Prize in Literature in 1991, recognized as a writer "who through her magnificent epic writin ...

, Emeritus Professor

J. H. Kwabena Nketia Joseph Hanson Kwabena Nketia (22 June 1921 – 13 March 2019) was a Ghanaian ethnomusicologist and composer. Considered Africa's premier musicologist, during his lifetime, he was called a "living legend" and "easily the most published and best ...

, Professor

Femi Osofisan Babafemi Adeyemi Osofisan (born June 16, 1946), known as Femi Osofisan or F.O., is a Nigerian writer noted for his critique of societal problems and his use of African traditional performances and surrealism in some of his plays. A frequent theme ...

,Craig Eisele on �
"Pan African Writers’ Association Discusses African Unity"
5 December 2007. Prof.

Ali Mazrui Ali Al'amin Mazrui (24 February 1933 – 12 October 2014), was a Kenyan-born American academic, professor, and political writer on African and Islamic studies, and North-South relations. He was born in Mombasa, Kenya. His positions included ...

, and others.

References

{{Reflist, 30em

External links

Pan African Writers' Association
on Facebook * Kofi Akpabli

''Graphic Online'', 16 September 2016. Organizations established in 1989 Pan-Africanism in Ghana Writers' organizations Cultural organisations based in Ghana 1989 establishments in Ghana African writers