PORTIA DERY (IHAV PARTICIPANT 2013)
Congratulations Portia on your nomination and shortlist for the Golden Baobab prize. You were a participant at the 1st edition of the IHAV Project Conference.
Tell us:
1. How would you describe your experience at the IHAV Conference?
My IHAV
experience is something I would never trade for anything in the world. If there
was anything that challenged me to thrive to attain my dreams; then it was the
2013 IHAV conference. Indeed, for me I did not just gain knowledge at the
conference, but I gained long-life friends from other African countries, I got
opportunities that open doors for me, I gained hope for the future and I got
infected with the African love; I felt in love with Africa for the first time!
And when I came back from the conference I was elated, I just couldn’t shut up
my mouth (my mum and brother soon got tired of me-lol) and so I told anybody I met down the street
how the IHAV conference was awesome.
2. How has the IHAV conference you participated in shaped your insight and challenged you to pursue your vision?
I have always had dreams of starting something
that would thrust my vision into action, but I never knew how or when nor if I
was even capable of pursuing it. But at the IHAV 2013 conference my worldview
was vigorously challenged. I used to think I was the only passionate person in the world that wanted to change it, till I
meet people(who were roughly the same age I was) who had achieved so much and were doing amazing
things back in their own countries. And so right after the conference i too knew
it was time to propel my vision into action.
3. Tell us about how you heard of and participated in the Golden Baobab Prize?
I love
writing and I love children, and these were the very things Golden Baobab was championing
and so when I heard of the 2014 Golden Baobab
Prize for African children’s literature , I knew there was no way I would miss that
and so I wrote two stories and entered
them and am glad to know one made it.
4. Tell us how you feel about making the shortlist.
I feel
very humbled and grateful; my faith in God had crossed a 100% threshold. Also,
as writer with self-doubt; who is never really sure if a sentence or a word is in the right place or if a story is really good enough, I feel validated!
5. Was the IHAV conference instrumental in your participation and nomination?
A yes!
After the conference, the fire that ignited within me was difficult to quench. I
think it led me to seek more opportunities to enrich and empower myself. The conference made me believe that it was ok
to have bold dreams, that it wasn’t strange to succeed and that was the mindset
that led me in writing for the Golden Baobab’s competition.
6. Tell us about your organization AYWO.
The African Youth Writers Organization-AYWO is a
non-profit organization which seeks to promote African literature and child
literacy. We believe that if we could groom a vibrant young crop of readers and
writers now; imagine what that would mean in the next 5-10 years? It would
imply that writers and publishers would have a guaranteed market for their
books, it would mean that the reading culture of Africans would improve (which
would reflect in the choices they make as citizens) and it thus strongly
suggest that we would have a strong crop of African writers that would write
beautiful stories of Africa. Because, when
the writers of a nation are right; their leaders would be right.
AYWO is currently promoting
child literacy by making reading books accessible to children and by organizing
reading and writing clinics. AYWO in collaboration with Mariam Ziona’s ‘Bliss
butterfly network’, Kofi Larbi( a media expert) and IHAV foundation have
declared November as #Bookcollectionmonth where we are seeking to collect 1000
books to donate to the Tamale Regional Library and IHAV’s Pieces for Peace project.
7. Can anyone be a part of AYWO, and how do they join?
AYWO is
open to anyone who has the passion to make a difference. At AWYO we believe in volunteerism
and partnership, so no matter your skills/expertize and profession, we have a
place for you! We therefore strongly encourage people who are interested to
send us a mail via afrikanywo@gmail.com. Join us in promoting African literature
and child literacy.
8. Lets delve into social entrepreneurship and volunteering, what’s your take on these two?
Social entrepreneurship and volunteerism
should be the new cool. We can no longer afford to wait on politicians to do
the very things that directly affect us. We need to develop local initiatives
that would promote development and create jobs. Although we are not all cut out
to be social entrepreneurs, we can still support others with our resources,
time, passion and skills.
If the
road to your house is full of potholes, do something! Don’t wait on a
politician who may never ride on that road. If a local school lacks school
supplies, go there and give out your old books. If homeless children hover
around your area; get up and volunteer to help them, because if you don’t it is
you they would rob, not the politician in his/her secured building.
So that in
the end no politician can tell us that they have built more schools, roads, and
other things as their achievement; we would be bold to let them know that
through social entrepreneurship and volunteerism we too can do even those
things!
I
therefore salute social ventures like the Ghana Think Foundation, the Golden
Baobab, the Sangy Foundation, IHAV Foundation, Tech Need Girls and others that are changing lives within Ghana and across the continent.
9. Can we (the public) help in you anyway for you to claim the Golden Baobab prize? If yes, How?
The Golden
Baobab Prize is a competition that is strictly determined through a vigorous
and technical evaluation process by a set of judges. It is therefore not open to the public for
voting/views. Nevertheless, the public can hype the Golden Baobab prize by promoting
its activities and celebrating the shortlists especially through social media. Media houses, writers, publishers, readers should be
promoting Golden Baobab activities because it is an initiative that is
empowering Africa writers and promoting children’s literature.
10. Do you have something you want to share with us that has not been asked?
Success is not by chance nor is it by luck but
a deliberate strategic plan that when combined with God’s favor would propel
you to greater heights. I therefore encourage the youth particularly
aspiring/emerging writers to focus and invest their time on their passion.
I kindly
urge everyone to join AYWO in the #bookcollectionmonth and the Pieces of Peace
initiative. Please donate books/writing materials/school supplies to help
promote child literacy.
And thank
you so much IHAV foundation for giving me this opportunity
