A Ghanaian receives CABA award in USA

A US based Children’s Africana Book has awarded Agbotadua Togbi Kumassah in a colourful ceremony held at Smithsonian African Museum of African Art and Culture in Washington DC.

The awards ceremony which took place on Saturday 8th November, 2014 was in recognition of his book ‘Once Upon A Time In Ghana; Traditional Ewe Stories Retold In English’. The book which is co-authoured by Anna Cotterel, a retired English teacher in England, was adjudged the best literature book in the world for Older Readers in 2014. The book contains traditional Ewe stories collected from Anyako, Klikor, Dzelukofe and Have.

The ceremony was attended by authors, media representatives, and past award winners.

Speaking to the Press, the elated award winner attributed his victory to God. He therefore dedicated the award to his late mother who according to him told him stories when he was young.

In an interview at the Library of Congress on the present state of storytelling in Ghana and its relevance in our educational system, Agbotadua Togbi Kumassah lamented that storytelling has lost its place on our school time tables.

Agbotadua Togbi Kumassah was a product of the University of Ghana. He graduated in 1978 in Geography and Sociology. He later went to the University of Cape Coast for the Post Graduate Certificate In Education in 1981.He taught in many schools in Ghana and retired as the Headmaster of Anlo Afiadenyigba Senior High School in 2003.