The Ghanaian Poet/Writer: Enjoy The Meal You Prepared Yourself

When you know the origin of a meal, you eat it without trepidation, even in the midst of enemies.

One of the most precise instructions on writing – Kill your darlings – was given by Arthur Quiller-Couch. I agree with that assertion a thousand percent. As poets (and writers of other genres) we must learn to put ourselves out of the way of the story. We might be joined at the hip to a particular set of words but we ought to investigate whether there are other words (synonyms) or ways to better capture your poem (or writing). The ancient Greeks had a proverb – Know thyself. That summarizes the spirit that ought to be behind every human endeavor. No one on God's green earth knows you more than yourself. You ought to use that to your advantage when you are editing yourself. You ought to read the poem (or writing) out loud to check whether it flows or shows the mood you want to convey. You have to enjoy the process of preparing your work, the way a cook is immersed in the preparation of ingredients for a meal. You have to find the recipe that you like best and stick to it. That is how you stay relevant in any genre of writing. Kofi Awoonor advised that the writer tells the truth – honesty wakes the world up…As a writer, know yourself.

Good writers are good editors. First drafts are, more likely than not, like disheveled hair. You need take them to the barber shop of editing. One rule of editing is to focus on being clear. In the administration of this rule, we cannot have favorite words or phrases. Everything is subject to editing. Where we develop the attitude of not getting in the way of editing, we give ourselves the space to grown into better poets and writers. It is extremely important to edit one's work, as much as one can, before a new set of eyes reads them. This positions us to better understand (or refute) any criticism or changes. Editing is like leaving the valley of words to stand on the mountain of clarity. The higher we are on that mountain, the smaller and precise our work becomes. Editing gives writing a needed sense of perspective.


Own a thesaurus. I have ran into several pieces that betrayed the poet's lack of flexibility with word choice. If you do not have a thesaurus, please get one. If you cannot afford it, use the Internet to access the many online thesauruses out there. A thesaurus is like a writing assistant who, in our moment of doubt on a word, whispers several alternatives for that word into our ears. A thesaurus comes in handy, especially, during times of editing. Poets and writers should make it habit to consult with one on a regular basis.


Own a dictionary. Now if you do not have a dictionary, I ought to have you arrested for fraud. (Hey, I'm just joking). A writer without a dictionary is like a one-legged man without his clutches. Since we deal with words for a living, we need to have a dictionary besides us so we can spell our words right. There are many poets and writers who have realized, especially when it was too late, how undependable the Spell Check feature is. The best ritual to have while writing is to have a physical dictionary at our side. One that we can quickly reach for while writing or editing. Once again, the Internet has a lot of dictionaries like this one.


Get a notebook (hard copy or electronic) in which you play around with phrases. Develop writing exercises with phrases you make up. Move words here and there to check on how meaning is either muddled or clarified. It is a good practice to keep such phrases in a notebook set aside for random thought. I can tell you that one days when I had writer's block, it was my phrase notebook that kick-starts my creativity. There are times when a sentence, phrase or, even a stanza drops in one's head at very odd moments. A handy pocket book will save those thoughts for latter use.


Get a group of writers who share your goals. It has been noted that writers who belong to small support groups are able to produce a lot of quality work.  For example, great writers, such as C.S Lewis and J.R.R Tolkien were part of a writer's collaborative called the Inklings. This idea is even touted among the other disciplines. Collaboration, instead of competition, is the best way to ensure quality and (ironically!) discover individuality. Artists such as Cezanne and Van Gogh, belonged to a group (the Post Impressionists) that supported their ideologies of art, at the time when the art world did not care for their works. The support system gave those artists the fuel to produce more and more. Now the work of those artists is worth millions of dollars. The support, criticism and community of such groups can be the impetus for a great stretch of writing. I was a member of a local poetry group in the city I live in. We met on the second Sunday of every month. I always looked forward to that 2 hour meeting because I gained invaluable insights on my works. What we did was quite simple: every one brought in a poem or two to read. Copies of the poem(s) were passed around to everyone in the meeting before the poets read. Instead of verbally criticizing on a poem, fellow poets wrote what they liked or disliked about the poems(s) on the copies they had. I can tell you that I was able to complete ten books of poetry based on the inspirations I got from this group. Such a model should be the norm among Ghanaian poets and writers. Of course, such groups are founded on trust. Plagiarism was not allowed in the group I was in. Everyone at our meeting was serious about his/her art. We were there to support each other. Presently, there is a collaborative project called #CommunalPoemExperiment on Facebook. It is premised on the idea of having poets come together to create a poem. It is a thriving idea. Feel free to join if you are on Facebook.


Aim to write about 120 poems a year (That's 10 poems a month). For writers, I would say one short story a month is a good goal to aim for. The reason behind this point is that a year's work should be an anthology waiting to be published. It is important to work hard in these times of relative obscurity so that whenever we intersect with opportunity, we can feed its demands. Like any human activity of worth, writing demands diligence. You cannot wing it. Thinking that only talent will do is a state of wishful thinking. You must work hard with your skill sets by having an attitude of constant creativity and curiosity. I have intersected with a lot of poets and writers who want to be famous but are not willing to put in the work. If you claim to be a poet or writer, you should be able to have a portfolio of works or produce them on short notice.

Believe in yourself but be ever ready to learn new ways of writing. Orison Swett Marden stated that, the best educated people are those who are always learning, always absorbing knowledge from every possible source and at every opportunity. Being open to novel ways of doing things is an asset to any poet or writer. It is not unoriginal to learn something new. As poets and writers, it should be one of our goals to constantly enhance our skill sets by challenging ourselves through experimentation.

In one of his many literary lectures, Chinua Achebe said nobody can teach me who I am. You can describe parts of me, but who I am - and what I need - is something I have to find out myself. It is imperative be circumspect of strengths and weakness and be ready to work on them. In the end, we harvest the things we planted in our own fields of writing. If we sow the wind, we shall reap the whirlwind. But if we commit to hard work and perseverance, we will not be disappointed.

No one will believe the person who does not believe in him/herself. You need to believe in your work enough to edit it.

A Leopard Does Not Behave Like A Lion

The leopard understands that even though the lion is king, it can never change its dull brown coat by royal command.

There is a reason why the human race is interpreted in different colors, why we have clans and tribes, why we have language and dialect. The one reason is variety. Without variety, the world will be one dull place. That is why the changing seasons, together with the colors and ambiance they bring, give us such joy. That is why we have day and night. It is in the spirit of that variety that I plead, that we cannot be a commune of copycats, either of ourselves or the rest of the world. Each one of us has a poem, play and story to tell that nobody else can. The power of diverse perspectives is evident in the way words change in context and meaning as they are pronounced on the tongues on different people. Pick the word, God. In Hausa, it is Allah. In Twi, it is Nyame. In Ewe, it is Mawu. In Ga, it is Nγumɔ. The fascinating thing is that the word, God, takes on more descriptions as it is mentioned in other languages. I used this illustration to buttress the fact that we must write from our POV (point of view) of the world we live in or want to live in. That is the strongest place a writer can write from. That is the place where more likely than not, he/she will make more sense. Playwright Afua Sutherland said that what we cannot buy is the spirit of originality and endeavour which makes a people dynamic and creative. We must write from the depths of our identity and the heights of our capabilities. There is no excuse to waste one's writing life trying to sound like others.




Your understanding of the world through your cultural identity will set you apart. Kofi Awoonor said that a writer is first and foremost an individual; born and bred. Comes from somewhere, a family, a town, a country, a culture, a civilization, a people… Individuality defines artistic capabilities. No one comes from a vacuum…” Your perspectives on humanity are still needed. For a long time, we have listened to the westernized view of things even at our our existential peril. Western literature, in all its brilliance, has still not being able to capture the myriad of nuances that dance in the African worldview. Although works by seminal African writers and poets made definitive statements about independence, a vacuum remains when it comes to the continuation and expansion of our narratives. Presently, we have African writers and poets who are taking their places in the literary world. That should galvanize the Ghanaian writer and poet to do more with his/her art. Ghana, with all its rich and colorful traditions, is far behind other countries in putting our stories and poetry out there. It is time to showcase our worlds through our different cultural identities. It is through this kaleidoscopic effort that we can make an impact in our world and beyond.


Your usage of your cultural nuances (language, practices and beliefs) makes your writing authentic. Poet Darko Antwi puts it succinctly in his essay, All Poets Are Mad...Except Kwaku Ananse, that cultural nuances, like languages, should be treated like food or people. It should be within our choice to consume or befriend, irrespective of origin or ethnic background. Some people like local dishes. Others want to go foreign. Someone wants a bit of this and a bit of that. It's all a matter of choice. I do not like writing all my poems in English. I speak six languages and do believe I should be able to mix them up whenever I like. I have been experimenting with a fusion of Twi and English (tentatively dubbed, Twinglish). There may be some who might not like that, as it might sound to them as a variation of Pidgin English or, worse, a terrible case of sanitized vernacular. As a professional linguist, I have always had a big problem with the word, 'vernacular'. There used to be a time when all the native languages were classified as vernacular as English was hailed as the right language. I think that is still the case. This attitude must change, for goodness' sake. If our politicians and leaders are too timid to take the lead in this matter, our poets and writers should. Believe it or not, our languages are very important. They encapsulate our histories, music, folklore, proverbs, legends and knowledge. The work at hand is enormous but if each poet decides to take up the cross of standing up for culture and tradition, we can create an industry for ourselves.


You are not required to write to satisfy anybody's set of rule (unless it is for an anthology with set guidelines). Pick a set of styles and be known for them. Never commit the mistake of writing to suit the expectations of others. Write for yourself first. It is important for us to be confident in what we do. Instead of comparing and contrasting yourself, hone your art and develop the knack for self-correction. If it does not read right, it will not sound right. Write in every style you set your eyes on. Push yourself to do things that are out of the norm for your poetry. Be creative when it comes to presentation. However, if you are writing for an anthology or competition, by all means, pay attention to the guidelines. In short, you must pay attention to your art.


Write as much as you can about as much as you know. Wole Soyinka, in exploring what made him write, said that looking at faces of people, one gets the feeling there's a lot of work to be done. There is always a story or an idea begging to be written. More likely than not, poets and writers are witnesses or characters of some tragedy, comedy or melodrama. Such experiences must not escape the net of exposition. Poets and writers alike must write and write and write about what they know. There should be no end to our activities because we are presented with opportunities to change the world and we better be up to it.


Do not imitate. Innovate. Orison Swett Marden advised, do not imitate. Originality is the best substitute for advertising. I hate it when people imitate others. It is a pet peeve. I believe that the world has so many interpretations that it is a travesty to live without a touch of originality. I get it that not everyone can create from nothing. However, we can create something from something. We can take something familiar and make it unfamiliar or vice versa. Innovation, something that sets a company from its competitors, is sorely needed in African writing. We cannot afford to sound the same. Language is like a mold of soft clay. It can be morphed into anything the potter likes. We cannot keep on using a particular style ad nauseaum. We must learn to infuse newness into the way we write.


Do not substitute the richness of your own circumstances for circumstances you know nothing about. One of my lamentations (and I have many) is when I read native writers and poets trying to sound westernized. I ask myself whether (a) they are ashamed of their own stories, (b) unable to tell their own stories or (c) reluctant to use their own environments to drive their works. I used to joke with friends that a day in Accra could easily fill an anthology with poems or short stories. The humorous situations, coupled with scenes of perseverance, do fill the mind with amble material to write. We cannot wait for inspiration. We have to meet it half-way by using what exists in our hearts and minds.


Brand yourself through intentional distinctiveness in your writing. Maya Angelou nailed it when she said

When I am writing, I am trying to find out who I am, who we are, what we're capable of, how we feel, how we lose and stand up, and go on from darkness into darkness. I'm trying for that. But I'm also trying for the language. I'm trying to see how it can really sound. I really love language. I love it for what it does for us, how it allows us to explain the pain and the glory, the nuances and delicacies of our existence. And then it allows us to laugh, allows us to show wit. Real wit is shown in language. We need language.

Focus on your uniqueness. Play to your strengths. Use your persona to leverage your work. There is no other voice out there that sounds like yours. Others may try to imitate. Let them do what they like. Find a place in your writing where you produce excellence and grow there. Be known for a style of writing. Differentiate yourself from the crowd. Remember that if you are distinct in your writing, you would have achieved the very purpose for which we write. This is not time to rest on your oars.

Your cultural identity plays a critical role in your poetry (and writing)

Poetry: A Tapestry of Words, A Mosaic of Meaning

If a known poison cures a man of a terrible disease, medicine men run out of business and those who kill through poisoning will be considered sages.

Every poet worth their salt knows that feeling within when one starts or completes a piece. We listen or read, with amusement, how others interpret our works. Sometimes, it is on point. Other times, it surprises us and reveals something we never knew about ourselves. Such is the power of words. The world of words is a place where meanings vary, where perceptions change, where writer and reader are challenged (and changed) by conundrums of existence. In this beautiful tapestry of words, we seek to create a world like nobody else has seen. Poet Kofi Awoonor stated that society is the teacher, the mentor: listen, watch, observe the life around you; it is that which will provide you the impetus.


A poem is a statement of truth (or a statement on a facet of truth).Stephen King reasoned that you cannot hope to sweep someone else away by the force of your writing until it has been done to you. The truth comes in variations: your truth and mine. This is where poets can exploit prisms of meaning and arrive at ideas that challenge accepted norms. The truth is a gold mine and a smart poet (and writer) can extract nuggets for a lifetime. The tools needed in this particular endeavor is observation, contemplation and open-mindedness. A poet must be prepared anything in defense of the truth, even if it sounds like a lie to his/her readers. The world, being a stage for paradox, never runs out of scenarios. A poet must go with the flow of reality in order to state his/her dreams properly.


A poem is supposed to lead the reader to a realization. Poetry has a hook that pulls the reader in and guides him/her to a conclusion. Some poets choose to let the readers find their own conclusions. Others are unequivocal about what they intend to convey. A poem is supposed to a journey of thought, a snippet on life that drives home a theme or idea in either a good or bad light. Great poems give you a feeling of either feeling content or wanting more.


A poem can use powers of prose and drama (adjectives, characters et cetera). Good poems use every literary device available. Do not burden yourself with unnecessary limitations. However, if you consciously intend to limit your scope of writing by conforming to a set method, by all means, help yourself. I highly recommend using poetic license in your drive through the terrains of writing. Give yourself a break. Enjoy this writing life by opening yourself and works to the possibilities out there. Use prose when it best serves your poem, where rhyming holds you back. Use drama when mere descriptions will not suffice. You are your poem's creator. It is your sacrosanct duty to give it life.


A poem can be long but it has to be precise. There is this school of thought that poems should be short. You can obey that law or break it, depending on the scope of your poem. Some of the greatest works of poetry, like the Inferno, Iliad and Odyssey, run for hundreds of pages but they never exhaust themselves out of the realm of their thematic confines. Even though such poems possess qualities of prose and drama, they stay true to the poetic sense. So, yes, you can write a long poem about a historical figure or event. But do so by tempering your creative strokes with the precision that poetry requires.


A poem is a reaction to the world. Whether it is a dream, actual event or prophecy, a poem is a human reaction to either ugliness or beauty in the world. Hence, it becomes subject to criticism, not only because of its form, but its subject matter. This places the poet, front and center, as a vehicle of social consciousness, which has its existential consequences. In the endless war between the forces of the world as it is and those of the world as it should be, the poet must take sides. This becomes the poet's internal dilemma, which creates tension in his/her works. Tension, by the way, is very good for poetry. It tells the reader (or listener) that the poet is thinking.


A poem finds many different ways to state the obvious. Through euphemisms, synecdoche, similes and metaphors (just to mention a few), the poet is able to mask, obscure or reveal meaning. A poem must be able to say many things at once, either through clarity or contradiction. This enables the poet to stay out of the way of the life of the poem because it becomes the work of the reader (or listener) to apply it to his/her own experiences. This is why poetry is the bedfellow of wisdom and its progeny (proverbs and idioms). LS Mensah opines that a poem can mean different things at different times, depending on how one looks at it. So can words and images within a poem.

Justice makes us write. It stirs us out of our comfort zones to face the evils that the world, in order to keep its creature comforts, has conveniently tolerated. Writing is about what the world should be to each and every one of its inhabitants. Equal opportunities in suffering and success, equal opportunities in tears and triumphs. That is why any other writing, that glorifies and validates injustice, does not make sense.

Great poetry teaches and titillates the mind.

The Landscapes of Poetry: From Apapransa to Zongolachichi

The world is big but very little when compared to the worlds our minds can create

Nothing should be sacred to writing. Nothing. That is why when I run into people who say they have nothing to write about, I shake my head. Are you serious? Have you looked outside lately? Have you listened to the news lately? Have you felt an emotion lately? The lack of innovation prompts a sentiment similar to that of Professor Kofi Anyidoho in the poem, My Song

Think
My People
Think
Think well before you laugh at those who walk in the rain.

It is imperative to be cognizant of what you want to do with your writing. Many are the motivations but they should be clear to each poet. In these times, poetry is not held to rigid structures and methods. It has become anything, even in prosaic form, that stokes the senses. Poetry is meant to make us ponder on the many themes and variations of life. It is intended to drive us to an eternal curiosity after both familiar and unfamiliar things. I dare say that poetry is the language of the soul, for every human pauses to grasp the powers of intentional phrases whenever they are spoken. It is in poetry that we steal glimpses at the elusive meanings of our existence. Hence, poetry is meant to touch anything, everything and everyone. Its landscape is as expansive as the universe and its applicability is beyond the capacities of the one who writes or recites it.


As African poets, the goal is to paint our worlds, one poem at a time, into a gallery of humanity. This is how we get to own the meta data of our collective psyche. We cannot continue to write literature that appeases Western sentiment. Much as we appreciate literature from those parts of the world, we must forge our creative paths, based on the nuances of our varied societies. The authenticity of the African poet is directly linked to his/her ability to speak without taint or bias for foreign acceptance. It is in the pursuit of authenticity that we find excellence. Never write in fear of critics or to win the acclaim of others. Write because you must write and let the urgency take to you a place only you are allowed to go. I have several pointers as to where my brethren of the ink can take their calling.

Find a subject or incident inspires (or inspired you). Ghanaian poet Novisi Dzitre wrote that I don’t think there are enough words, breath or punctuation to hold the places in the expression of ideas by any one individual, and that is where poetry comes in handy for me. Everyone of us, being unique beings, possesses interests that are different from the next person. This is the platform from which each one of us must create. In my personal walk as a poet and writer, I have found it extremely difficult to write from ignorance. It is like a virgin who writes about the joys of intercourse or a toddler who scribbles about the pains of old age. Yes, one is free to write as an observer and there are many works out there where the poet takes the role of an observer. What I am writing about is about the poet being in sync with his poem to the point that he/she can take liberties with that work by playing insider or observer. We all have life -changing incidents. Some for good, others for worse. Such incidents are all tools in the workshop of a poet and writer. Our creativity is captured in our experiences and does flourish when we take chances with ourselves.

Find a subject or incident that scares (or scared you). Orison Swett Marden admonished, grant your imagination full sway. Fear is a wonderful emotion when used as a tool of creativity. When we know how, where and why we are afraid, we can write about it convincingly. Choosing a subject or incident that frightens you is an excellent tool of vulnerability in the hands of a poet. Vulnerability is what makes us all human. Even Kweku Ananse had his secret fears.


Practice writing with a self-imposed strict regimen of words. Write, using words you thoroughly understand. I have read some works by writers who have used words that muddled their context. Such a practice results in a meandering into meaninglessness. The dictionary is a friend; not a dictator. Use words that free your work into a place of clarity, not the ones that block the flow. Write everyday even if there is nothing to write about. Write letters. Journal your thoughts. Scribble those half-formed ideas. Get into the habit of writing because that is the best place to be whenever inspiration hits.


Write about popular topics from an overlooked point of view. I learned, a while ago in art class at Adisadel College, that there was more than one angle to anything. It is our job as poets to see the overlooked angles, which might not be popular, but essential to the conversation of life. When my Arts teacher made us sit in a circle around a black jug on blue paper, he did not expect the same picture from everyone in class. He expected different pictures of the same black jug on blue paper. The same applies to poetry, and writing in general. We cannot be caught up in the general narratives of poets and writers we love and adore. We must take what those narratives were about and tweak them with alternating scenarios. By doing this simple exercise, we find a world hidden in plain sight.


Write about unpopular topics from an obscure point of view. As you already might know, there are some topics in our society that are considered taboo. Well, taboos are meant to be broken. You can break a taboo by exposing either its irrelevance or true meaning. As a poet, it is your assignment to make people question everything around them. Curiosity is not a bad thing when it leads to change. In being social catalysts, poets elevate problems within society to a level of constant discussion which leads to eventual solutions.


Research various styles of poetry and experiment with them. Poet Dela Bobobee said many poems mean a lot of different things to me in various perspectives at varying points in time. It all depends on the significance of the poem in question to the specific situation on ground and what is at stake. I am a proponent of rule-breaking in writing. However, here's the caveat: how can you break something you do not know? Poets must read the poems of others. By doing that, we prune our own shortcomings and learn new ways of expressing ourselves. The proverb, iron sharpens iron, is in play here. Great poets (and writers) are not afraid of learning from others. We cannot create from a point of ignorant reclusivity.


Develop a style or tone (or form) that becomes your imprimatur. Poet LS Mensah reiterates that

there are many things one could do with a poem. Sometimes like water, a poem can exist in different states: a liquid, a solid, a vapour in the air. Sometimes it is like light, both wave and particle. The running joke about Ghanaian poems is that they are all about politics. Well, we can can keep the politics running. However, we can merge it into poems about love, hope and pain. There is something in something. There is politics in everything. Use that awareness to create your literary voice. You can decide to stay there and be known for a specific stance or viewpoint or you can experiment with all the wonderful variations of perspective.

Create moral scenarios wherein your readers will have to think their way through. Prominent Ghanaian literary critic, Nana Fredua Agyeman (in his critique of Ibsen's Enemy of the People) states that in a progressive society therefore, hypotheses, laws, institutions, authorities should be constantly challenged. One need not accept or believe an idea, a response, a supposition, just because everyone believes it. Universally believed ideas, must be analysed and questioned. This is as important today as the year 1882. Playwrights and novelists think like poets, in that they try to encapsulate tortuous ideas into few words. Poets should endeavor to learn from them as well. It is not unusual to develop plot structures, characters, acts and scenes in one's poetry. It can be done in a short poem or a long one. What I am pointing at is the existence of an endless world of possibilities when one is determined to take one's poetry to places of excellence. We must push ourselves out of our comfort zones.

Wole Soyinka once stated books and all forms of writing are terror to those who wish to suppress the truth. There is a perpetual onus on writers of all genres to expose the circus of deception that pitches itself in the very center of our society from time to time. Reality has a tendency to gloss over what is right to what is rational, or over what is essential to what is circumstantial. And the best illustration of what reality can do is in the realm of politics where everything is conducted through facades and fear mongering. This explains why from time immemorial politicians and writers have not meshed well. Writers are in a constant pursuit of what is possible; politicians are in constant pursuit of what is plausible. In Africa, the power class (politicians and soldiers) have long persecuted writers because, through writing, a society is stirred unto a consciousness of its realities, for better or for worse. Politicians do not want to see their people galvanized, if it is not to their benefit. Hence, they loath writers because writing's middle name is 'galvanization'. That is why Wole Soyinka had to suffer years of persecution from Nigeria's array of military usurpers. That is why Ken Saro Wiwa was executed by Abacha's kangaroo court.

Writing is a very dangerous profession. That which must be pursued with passion and purpose. That which must be done with urgency and clarity. That which must be done with the mindset that nothing will rise up to the excuse of not writing. Writing is also a delightful profession. You get to be the scribe of beauty and ugliness, a recorder of pleasure and pain, the bookkeeper of human existence. I would not trade that for anything else in the world.

Nothing is off-limits to poetry; it is life and its creation sheds light on other facets of life.