World Art Day: Bring the book industry back to its Art home, Oswald Okaitei writes

It is absolutely wrong to place the book industry under education. It is a case of ‘orphaning’ it for, its rightful sector is the art.

A new generation of the Ama Ata Aidoos, Kofi Awoonors, Efua Sutherlands, Atukwei Okais, Kofi Anyidohos and the others must be created and we must be intentional about it. But that cannot be when there is no national department under the art seeing to this. 

The concept of art transcends what it is perceived to be here. It encompasses a lot more and the book industry is one. 

It is about time we categorize the departments under the art well to help us identify its contribution to the economy. Ghana as a country has failed woefully in that regard and thus, think art is just theatre and painting.

Art broadly can be categorized into the Performing art and Fine art (visual and literary). The book industry generally falls under the literary arts writing is an art and so is publishing—editing, illustration, graphics, etc.). It is the product of the industry that benefits education.

 It restricts the industry. No wonder most of the publishers in Ghana are majorly into textbooks production with little interest for creative writing”. 

On this day, World Art Day, I’m appealing to the powers that be to as a matter of urgency have a sober reflection and make it a point to know it right and very well that the state owes it a point to have special interest in giving the book industry its necessary attention and support, understanding that it is a creative sector that can support different sectors including education, culture tourism promotion, entertainment, etc

The writer is a poet/art activist/Executive Director, Read Ghana Read Consult