Madam Chairperson, Dr. Joyce Aryee, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, good evening. I am glad to be here to witness the launch of an interesting work of literature and I trust you are too.
I am particularly intrigued by the book- “Letters to My Future Wife” because of a number of reasons. Manasseh is a very good storyteller who uses everyday experiences to creatively tell compelling stories about the maze of life and its intricacies. Even if you disagree with the content, you are still entertained by the writer’s dexterity and the quality of what you read.
I also find this publication interesting because of the enormous lessons it presents to its readers. This book contains lessons for the single and the married; the young and old, the naive and the experienced, as well as any open-minded person who is prepared to learn from the experiences of others.
As a woman, and an advocate of women empowerment and gender parity, I believe in giving young women the right orientation to take up their rightful place in the society. One of the most dominant themes in this book is the fact that the woman is an equal and useful partner in the building of the home and society at large. In as much as marriage is an important component of our lives, it should not be a barrier to the dreams and aspirations of our young women. I congratulate Manasseh for finding the time to compile and publish this book.
African literature should not be allowed to age and die with the likes of Efua Sutherland, Ama Ata Aidoo, Chinua Achebe, Ngugi Wa Thiongo, and a host of aging literary giants who blazed the trail of African literature. These writers chronicled the history of Africa’s colonization, our independence struggle and our search for self-identity. The life of the contemporary African in the 21st century and our place in the global village must be told in both fiction and non-fiction. Nobody can tell our stories better than ourselves.
The culture of reading seems to be dying, and to me, there is no significant difference between a person who has never been to school and an educated person who does not read. With time, we forget what we learnt in the classroom and if we fail to read, the certificate we hold as our degree or diploma, may be the only main difference between us and those who did not sit in the classroom. Social media has become a necessary evil. The low quality of content and the language social media feeds us with, only worsens the situation. I hope Ghanaians, especially the youth, will be encouraged by publications such as this to develop the love for reading. Manasseh, continue to inspire the youth with your literature works.
Madam Chairperson, on this note and with the support of the distinguished guests on the high table and all of you gathered, I declare “LETTERS TO MY FUTURE WIFE” duly launched.
Thank you very much and I hope all of us will leave here with copies of the book
