By Nanama B. Acheampong | Coordinator of the Golden Baobab Prizes
Dear Friends,
The fourth and final quarter of 2013 will soon come to an end and we are happy to update you on the latest developments for our illustration prizes.
We are pleased to inform you that we have officially launched the annual, pan-African, $7,500 Golden Baobab Prizes for Illustrations. These new prizes, which are the biggest of their kind, were launched on November 28, 2013, at La Villa Boutique Hotel in Accra, Ghana. There are two awards under these prizes: The Golden Baobab Prize for Illustrators and The Golden Baobab Prize for Rising Illustrators.
At the launch, in the spirit of creativity, guests were given pieces of paper on which to draw self-portraits. This set the tone for a fun and exciting evening. Deborah Ahenkorah, Executive Director of Golden Baobab, then shared the organization’s hopes for the new prizes, saying Golden Baobab aims to discover, motivate and celebrate African illustrators who are passionate about creating beautiful illustrations for children. The President of the Ghana Book Publishers Association (GBPA), Mr. Asare Yamoah, was present to help Golden Baobab launch the Golden Baobab Prizes for Illustrations and unveil the 2014 poster which was designed by the talented Ghanaian illustrator, Hanson Akatti.
In a short speech, Mr. Yamoah congratulated Golden Baobab on its new initiative and spoke on its importance for the children’s book industry in Ghana and the rest of Africa. He stated that although adult African literature is well sought after, African children’s literature leaves much to be desired in terms of presentation. He mentioned that the new illustration prizes would go a long way to make African children’s books more attractive and thus, encourage more children to develop a love for reading.
Other guests who attended the launch included Larry Otoo, renowned Ghanaian painter, Kathy Knowles, children’s book writer and publisher, Jarreth Merz, Ghanaian film producer whose work includes “An African Election,” a documentary on Ghana’s 2012 presidential elections, Giulia Tavolato, the Country Manager for Reach for Change, and other Golden Baobab supporters.
We say a huge thank you to you for making this project possible by your kind donations. Because of your support, these prizes are not only the biggest of their kind, but they are also fully pan-African; All marketing material will be translated into French, Arabic, Portuguese and a variety of African languages to enable people from all over the continent to enter.
Having said, there remains a deficit that needs to be raised. We encourage you to give a little more to make this dream a full reality. We also encourage you to tell everyone you know about Golden Baobab, a visionary social enterprise based in Accra, Ghana, whose purpose is to ensure that quality and enthralling African books get into the hands of African children everywhere.
We wish you the very best for this Christmas season. Please find some photos from the launch below.
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