Surviving a book launch - Occasional Kwatriot writes

Since the launch of my book, The Pen at Risk on 30th August, I have regained my freedom to breathe, take naps, as well as eat my favorite meals.

The entire exercise was worth it, but also stressful; it should have been meant for youthful authors with a stony heart; not a fragile writer as this one. Just a week to D-day, one could simply have checked the author’s blood pressure and heart beat on hearing of possible delays in the book’s arrival at the port: the new arrival of the freight was to be days after the event.

Happily, Providence somehow intervened and restored the original arrival date. Otherwise the Intensive Care Unit of the UG Medical Centre, would have had on hand, an unusual guest!

But it was all worth the suspense and palpitation. The attendance at the launch was rich and diverse: the presence of a huge delegation of elders and friends from Duakwa and environs was heart-warming.

They could testify to the wonder priest and his resurrection, and properly situate my juvenile ventures and escapades. It was also great to see my immediate family, and relations who could embellish the great sibling rivalry in childhood.

Particularly pleasing was the sight of relations of key figures in the book who are no more. It was wonderful seeing a grandson of Paa Willie, the great William Ofori Atta, who was part of the Big Six and stole the hearts of many in the late 1970s. Henry Abraham, son of Nkrumah’s advisor, Willie Abraham of whom I wrote, honored me with his presence. The late PAV Ansah was with us in spirit, but also in person; his daughter Esi Ansah made it to the book launch and did not miss a photo opportunity with me.

The Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences and the University of Ghana, that enriched my academic life, were ably represented by their headships, including past and present vice chancellors, and a throng of scholars. The business community was there, and so were key public figures who were either present or represented. The Vikings of Sarbah Hall were there.

The First Deputy Speaker tip toed in and sat in a humble nook, but was instantly arrested and properly seated. Deputy Minister for Education, the young dynamic Reverend Fordjour gave a great speech on behalf of the Vice President. And how can I forget the IGP Dr Dampare who majestically sauntered in, with big police capos. The great Sir Sam Jonah made my day, filling the chairmanship position with aplomb.

But I could not have missed past students of Winnesec, Molestus, Ampofo, Opoku Beeko and all, who deepened my reminiscences in the book, and knew what I meant by Winnesec secrets. The energetic Captain Eyi Acquah from Winneba could not miss this. And oh, I nearly forgot: colleagues of Agona East with the District Chief Executive, who joined the event and expressed pride in such great company.

It was also great to experience my daughter, Elorm, thanking everybody at the tail end of the event, but also heaping praise upon herself, for helping Daddy to press this button and not that, on the computer; or else the whole memoir would have been deleted.

Below, however, let me present a brief on the author of the book, The Pen at Risk, which was inadvertently omitted in the proceedings.

Kwesi Yankah

Kwesi Yankah is a humanities scholar of international repute, professor of linguistics, public intellectual, and university administrator.

He is a product of Winneba Secondary School, University of Ghana and Indiana University, USA. At Legon, he held several positions including Dean of Students, Head of Linguistics Department, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, and Pro-Vice Chancellor in charge of academic and student affairs. As Dean of Students, he is credited to have played a pivotal role in the setting up of Radio Univers, the first educational broadcast station in the country, driven by the vision of Professor George Benneh then Vice Chancellor.

In Mensah Sarbah Hall where he held virtually every high administrative position (from Senior Hall Tutor, Hall Master, to President of the Senior Common Room), he introduced several innovations which still stand in his name.

As an academic, Yankah has award winning books to his credit, and was duly honored by the Ghana Book Development Council that gave him the Ghana Book award in 1991; the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences, where he earned the Gold Book award in 1996 (before becoming a fellow), Valco Literary Award, and the WEB Du Bois award by Ghana Association of Writers.

At Indiana University where he did his doctoral work in ethnography of communication, he was in 1986 given the Esther Kinsley award for outstanding doctoral dissertation, the first by an African.

Yankah has held fellowships and visiting professorships in several universities including, Stanford University, Indiana University, University of Pennsylvania, University of California at Berkeley, University of Michigan, Northwestern University, University of Birmingham, etc. From 2009 till 2017, Kwesi Yankah was also Associate Director of the African Humanities Program, established by the American Council of Learned Societies.

In Ghana here, Yankah is known also as a public intellectual, having written regular columns for several newspapers on contemporary national issues since he was only 27. As far back as 1987, he was given the columnist of the year award by the Ministry of Information, and in 1996 honored by Ghana Journalist Association, for significant contribution to journalism, after writing the ‘longest running column in the history of Ghanaian journalism,’ according to the GJA. From 2003 to 2009, Yankah was the Chairman of the Governing Board of New Times Corporation. Kwesi has since not given up writing, and is still prolific in the social media.

After retiring from Legon in 2011, Professor Kwesi Yankah in 2012 was appointed President and later Vice Chancellor of Central University until 2017, when he was appointed as Minister of State in charge of Tertiary Education, a position he says he ‘survived limping,’ He is currently Chairman of the Governing Council of the University of Media, Arts and Communication (a merger of GIJ, NAFTI and GIL). Professor Yankah has been a Fellow of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences since 1997, and was Honorary Secretary of the Academy from 2003 to 2006. As recently as 2022, he was inducted into the prestigious fellowship of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a rare honour.

The book he has launched, The Pen at Risk, is his second in the past three years. Late 2021, he launched a 325-page book, Beyond the Political Spider: Critical Issues in African Humanities, published by the African Humanities Program.
Kwesi Yankah is married to Daavi Victoria; they have three adult girls, all products of Wey Gey Hey and Legon. Professor Yankah says his hobby is dancing to brass band music.

Finally, the retired professor says he is available to offer his services free of charge to any Ghanaian university that needs him to share knowledge with students.