Independent Presidential Candidate, Marricke Kofi Gane is expected to share his vision for Ghanaian writers at a programme dubbed #CatchUpAfrica this September.
The international development practitioner will also share his plan for Ghana’s creative industry if he is given the nod at the December 7, 2020, presidential election.
The encounter with Ghanaian writers will be the first to be carried out by a Presidential Candidate since the start of Ghana’s democratic experiment in 1992.
Presidential Candidates of the major political parties often draft policies for the creative industry targeting musicians, actors and actresses, leaving out writers.
But the Accra International Book Festival, organisers of #CatchUpAfrica has described the development as the “fault line of Ghana’s creative industry.”
In a statement announcing the encounter with the Independent Presidential Candidate, the Afro-Book Festival said Ghanaian writers deserve equal attention from politicians.
“The creative industry is not dominated by musicians, actors and actresses only. We need to understand that Ghanaian writers also contribute to the growth and development of the country’s creative industry,” the statement said.
“The tradition is that policies of the two leading political parties for the creative industry often target musicians, actors and actresses with little to no plan for Ghanaian writers, but this is so wrong,” the Accra International Book Festival said.
This, according to the Book Festival has gone on for years and anytime writers complain about the situation they are referred to the Ministry of Education.
“What we often forget is that well-written books provide information and entertainment to Ghanaian readers,” the Accra International Book Festival said.
The Afro-Book Festival has asked all 2020 Presidential Candidates to articulate their plans for writers in the country since they are also in the “infotainment business.”
The #CatchUpAfrica with Marricke Kofi Gane has been scheduled for September 19, 2020, on the video-conferencing platform, Zoom.
The Accra International Book Festival has announced its commitment to engage the other presidential candidates ahead of the 2020 polls.