Accra, Ghana – The Pan African Writers Association (PAWA) has released the new edition of its quarterly newsletter, capturing a vibrant season of leadership renewal, continental collaboration, literary celebration, and strategic advocacy across Africa and the diaspora. Featuring 14 major stories, the edition reflects PAWA’s growing influence as a unifying platform for African writers and cultural institutions worldwide.
At the heart of the newsletter is the inauguration of a new PAWA Council, sworn in on July 25, 2025, by Ghana’s Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Hon. Abla Dzifa Gomashie. Speaking through a representative, the Minister reaffirmed government support for PAWA’s mission of preserving African voices, promoting literacy, and celebrating the continent’s diverse languages and narratives. She urged deeper collaboration between writers, governments, academia, and cultural bodies. The ceremony also featured contributions from global partners including the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the International Authors Forum (IAF), IFRRO, and the Ghana Publishers Association, underscoring PAWA’s expanding international reach. Newly elected PAWA President, Prof. Bill Ndi, pledged principled and dedicated service to the association.
The newsletter also documents PAWA’s institutional growth through strategic partnerships, notably the signing of an agreement with DPL to establish the Film Africa Network, aimed at strengthening the link between literature and film across the continent.
In celebration of African literary heritage, PAWA paid tribute to Prof. Wole Soyinka on his 91st birthday, acknowledging not only his global stature but also his foundational role in the Pan-African literary movement that gave rise to PAWA. This sense of continuity between generations of writers is further reinforced by messages of solidarity from international bodies such as IFRRO, which expressed interest in closer collaboration to strengthen sustainable copyright ecosystems in Africa.
Regional engagement features prominently, with reports on visits by the Presidents of the Ghana Association of Writers and the Benin Writers Association to PAWA House in Accra, reinforcing cross-border dialogue. The newsletter also highlights PAWA’s support for emerging voices, including the inauguration of a Committee for Young Writers, tasked with empowering writers aged 18–45 across member associations.
Literary production and recognition form another strong thread. The memoir Two Weeks in the Trenches by Eritrean writer Alemseged Tesfai is spotlighted as a powerful testament to war, memory, and peace. PAWA also announced the awarding of its Patron of the Arts Medal to Ms. Margarita Al, President of the World Organization of Writers (WOW), in recognition of her outstanding contribution to African literature.
The edition further captures PAWA’s active presence at major cultural events, including the Ghana International Book Fair, where inclusive publishing, accessibility, and youth empowerment were strongly advocated by Ghanaian government officials and international partners. In parallel, PAWA joined the global literary community in congratulating László Krasznahorkai, the 2025 Nobel Laureate in Literature, reaffirming its commitment to global literary dialogue.
Looking ahead, the newsletter previews significant upcoming events such as the 44th International Convention of the Association of Nigerian Authors, a European poetry tour by Ghanaian performance poet James Kofi Lemaire, and the visit of PAWA’s Secretary General, Dr. Wale Okediran, to Malawi for the 30th Anniversary of the Malawi Writers Union.
Collectively, these stories present PAWA not merely as an association, but as a living Pan-African movement—bridging generations, disciplines, and borders—committed to literature as a force for cultural identity, dialogue, and sustainable development across Africa and the world.
