All African Women Poetry Festival celebrates Efua Sutherland’s legacy

Tuniq Africa, in collaboration with the Estate of Efua Sutherland, the W.E.B. Du Bois Centre, KGL Foundation and the Foundation for Contemporary Art Ghana celebrate legendary writer, Efua Theodora Sutherland in the 2024 edition of the All African Women Poetry Festival (AAWPFestival).

Themed ‘Poetry and Play’ this will form part of the Efua T. Sutherland centenary celebrations.

Efua Theodora Sutherland was a Ghanaian playwright, director, researcher, children’s author, poet, dramatist, educationist, child advocate, and cultural activist. She pioneered post-independence cultural institutions such as the Ghana Society of Writers, the Ghana Experimental Theatre, and the Ghana Drama Studio.

Along with other forward-looking initiatives, Sutherland left a legacy of inspiring ideas in literature and literacy, child development, urban cultural spaces, and indigenous knowledge capital. It is this Legacy that the All African Women Poetry Festival (AAWPFestival) seeks to celebrate at this year’s edition.

The AAWPFestival is an annual celebration of poetry, literature, and arts, which highlights the diverse voices and talents of African women writers. It is a unique event created to reach out to poets, thinkers, healers, therapists, and playwrights in Africa, offering a platform to help them share their stories, inspire audiences, and foster meaningful connections.

This year’s celebration is a 4-day event that will take place from the 23rd to 26th of May 2024, at the W.E.B. Du Bois Centre in Accra and the Foundation for Contemporary Art, Ghana, both venues are in cantonments. It will highlight the extraordinary life and literary legacy of Efua T. Sutherland, whose contributions continue to inspire generations of writers and artists across the African continent and beyond.

The festival, which will be chaired by the esteemed Rev. Dr. Joyce Aryee, will explore literature as told and written by African women, with thought-provoking workshop sessions, playtime in the park, enlightening dialogue sessions, networking opportunities, film screenings, and captivating performances. The festival will host ten distinguished poets from Ghana, South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya whose voices resonate with authenticity and power.

Among them are Titilope Sonuga, Alhanislam, Effie Nkrumah, vangile gantsho, Moafrika Wa Mokgathi, Qhali, Nyash, Winnie Madoro-Kazu, Moyosola Olowokure, and Deborah Johnson. Together, they represent a variety of cultures, languages, and perspectives, enriching the discussions at the festival.