ANA Kwara Report - 2016 Yusuf Ali Literary Awareness Campaign

THE ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIAN AUTHORS KWARA CHAPTER

In her bid to foster creativity and literacy among students in the State, the Kwara State chapter of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) under the chairmanship of Colonel Oladele Babajamu in 2016 organised a writing workshop aimed at training participants in the process of producing creative and literary works. The major purpose of the event was to create a platform where budding writers can come together to receive training to help them publish their literary works.  The workshop which also afforded participants opportunity to seek for collaborations and other relevant assistance with published authors present at the event was held at selected secondary schools in Omupo and Sobi zones of the State. The writing workshop featured paper presentations by members of Kwara ANA. Mr. Damilare Atolagbe took the session on prose writing, while Mrs. Amina Babatunde and Mr. Mubarak Oladosu looked at Drama writing and Poetry respectively. Some of the topics that were taught included Reviews, Autobiographies, Memoirs, Literary analysis, Diction, Qualities of a writer and Differences among the three literary genres.

Another major activity carried out by the chapter was the 2016 ANA/ Yusuf Ali Literary Campaign. In line with the decision of the ANA Executive Council Conference held in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, the campaign programme focused on tertiary institutions in the State.

 The one day event which held at the African People's Hall, Ilorin, on July 14th, 2016 hosted five tertiary institutions for the competition and some invited secondary schools as observers. 

The competition focused on book reviews and poetry. The resource persons for the Book review and Poetry respectively were Mr. Awolaja Olajide, Script writer and publisher and Mr. Olanrewaju Sheriff, Writer and author.  The participants were drawn from tertiary institutions in Kwara State including the Department of English, University of Ilorin; Department of English, Al-Hikman University;  College of Arabic and Islamic Studies; Department of Mass Communication, Kwara State Polytechnic, and College of Education, Ilorin. The invited secondary schools included Queen Elizabeth School, Ilorin;  Al Min College, Ilorin; Model College, Adewole; University of Ilorin Secondary School; and Boltem Secondary school, Ilorin. 

Also present on the occasion were the representative of the Kwara State Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development; the Chief librarian of the National Library, Ilorin; the media; publishers; script writers; lecturers and teachers. Awards were given to all participating schools and prizes were presented to all the first, second and third runners-up in the competition. 

Other activities undertaken by the chapter included the book launch of a Kwaraana member, Mr. Ahmad Saliu, in February 2016 and the foundation laying ceremony of the knowledge Platform Library belonging to a Patron of Kwara ANA, Alhaji Mustapha Akanbi. The Kwara State chapter of ANA meets at the Knowledge platform for regular monthly readings on the first Sunday of every month.