Timetoread

Two men are spreading reading in Ghana with music, food talk and the desire to showcase Ghanaian culture

IN his book I Speak of Ghana, Nana Awere Damoah enumerates 50 things that will indicate you are in Ghana. While all of them are droll they do also contain a small kernel of hard truth.

For instance, “You know you are in Ghana when street lights are visible decorations by day and invisible shadows by night. You know you are in Ghana when a 60-year-old man is introduced as the Chairman of the Asikuma Youth Association. You know you are in Ghana when drivers do a U-turn in the middle of a T-junction. You know you are in Ghana when a census enumeration officer asks you, ’Your wife, is she married?’”

There’s a 51st way that is not mentioned in the chemical engineer’s book. You know you are in Ghana when what looks like a rollicking Christmas party is actually a book reading session and the book people are quoting there happens to be I Speak of Ghana. read and interacted with people from 10 a.m. till 5 p.m.…it was novel and well-received. People just walked in and out of the three sessions.”

Delighted with how it turned out, the pair set themselves two targets: to do regular public book readings and hold them outside Accra as well. In 2016, the initiative, now called the Dakpabli Readathon after their own names, has become well known. From literary gatherings, they are being held in places where ordinary people go - restaurants, clubs and bookstores. The audience has widened from litterateurs to students, government officials, the odd minister, and even young children. Amazingly, sponsors are also coming in, like with pop performances, with restaurants and hotels offering themselves as venues, fashion brands dressing the two, and soft drink companies eager to be the official drink for the sessions.

All this is partly due to the pair’s skillful use of social media. Dakpabli Readathon has a Facebook page where they keep readers posted on future programs and interact with them regularly, sharing jokes, photos and dreams. The sessions are also being livestreamed.

It’s not just two men reading. In between the readings, there is music and interaction with the audience, who are encouraged to ask questions and share their thoughts. Popcorn flows freely just like in the cinemas and there are mouthwatering discussions about Ghana’s beloved dishes - Jollof rice, groundnut soup served with fufu (made from boiled and pounded plantain or cassava), kenkey (sourdough dumplings) and gari (a Nigerian fufu recipe).