About Us
OVERVIEW
The Ama Ata Aidoo Centre for Creative Writing was established March 17, 2017 as a learning facility at the African University College of Communications in Adabraka, Accra. The Centre is in honor of the legendary Pan-African feminist writer. Under the auspices of the Office of the President at AUCC, the Aidoo Centre has since created numerous opportunities for literary connection and exchange and stimulated cultural expression, primarily in the Accra city area.
A Home for Writers, Readers and the Literary Community
The Ama Ata Aidoo Center for Creative Writing is the unit at the African University College of Communication (AUCC) dedicated to furthering the institution’s role in the development of a national literature. The Aidoo Centre, named in honor of the legendary author, was established March 17, 2017 as a learning facility at AUCC in Adabraka, Accra. The Centre has so far:
★ Published four anthologies
★ Unearthed 68 new authors
★ Embraced five (5) enthusiastic book clubs (from Adabraka, AUCC, Nima, Maamobi and Newtown), and
★ Increased literacy by encouraging critical reading and creative writing among over 6,000 junior high school students in neighboring schools
Our Mission
The Aidoo Center is dedicated to furthering AUCC’s role in the development of a national literature through programs, projects and activities that will both nurture literary writers and scholars in Ghana and encourage their interaction with other writers and artists in West Africa and around the world.
Our Vision
The Aidoo Centre was established to increase literacy in Ghana by encouraging critical reading and creative writing. This it does by primarily nurturing book and reading clubs, making literature available to their members, and connecting readers to authors of their favorite books.
Our Aim
Towards making the nation literate, the Centre has two principal goals in mind: to be the refinery through which the new generation of authors pass, and to become a major repository of literature with a focus on digitally archiving for public access all known works by authors of African descent.
Our Activities
Year round, the Centre strives to achieve its aim and realize its vision through regular events. Our signature programs are:
* Reading and Talks: The series Distinguished Visiting Writers, One Book One Community, In their Own Words, and Notable New Writers bring some of today's most recognized authors to Adabraka, Accra, for readings, talks, and other engagements with students and the community
* Classes and Workshops: Writing Clinic and Writers Studio offer intimate and accessible Fiction, Poetry and Creative Nonfiction writing classes and workshops with acclaimed authors and faculty members in person and in online formats
* Public/Street Recitals and Readings: Tabon, our annual festival of urban arts and culture showcases student productions in kasahari (street poetry), comedy, readings, street food, street art and Ga music in honor of the community’s roots. It is held at Discovery House and adjoining street corners. The event is in collaboration with local business, media, Hospitality, Banks, the traditional authority, the police and medical services.
What We honor
→ In particular, we honor the outstanding achievement of visionaries at the front-line of literature and ideas with our proposed annual ‘Aidoo Prize for Outstanding Literary Work in Ghana’
→ We protect cultural heritage by ensuring that our deserving authors are read and discussed and their works promoted
→ We support innovative, new, quality literary initiatives through mentoring, collaboration and coordination
→ We work for and with youth through our #OneBookOneCommunity, #InTheirOwnWords, and #CommunityReading outreaches, and  We create networks of exchange of ideas.
Global Outreach
At home and abroad, the Aidoo Centre engages in numerous efforts to broaden perspectives, promote mutual understanding, and foster international literary exchange. From 2024 onward, the Center hopes to present notable authors at select Literary Festivals on the continent, ensuring that Ghanaian voices continue to be part of an international literary conversation.
Funding
We are supported by the Office of the President, AUCC, and are currently looking to private individuals and corporations in our effort to expand and reach more potential readers and authors. We also collaborate with like-minded organizations towards the realization of our vision and goals.
Make a Donation
You can help transform the life of a young Ghanaian author today! Your donation in support of any of our activities will make a significant difference in the lives of aspiring writers who are working to be the next Ama Ata Aidoo. To donate, please contact info@aidoocentre.org.
Join Us
The Aidoo Centre seeks support. We would like to partner with organizations in any one or a combination of the following ways:
> Providing content for the Creative Writing space whether (hard or/and soft),
> Sponsoring any of the Centre’s programs that are scheduled year-round, or
> Assisting in equipping the Centre with the necessary tools to bring its standard up to par.
The Director of #AidooCentre
Nana S. Achampong was appointed January 2018 as Director of the Ama Ata Aidoo Centre for Creative Writing at AUCC.
He is a member of faculty at the Kojo Yankah School for Communication Studies.
Achampong has to his credit 25 books in different genres including poetry, a play, two nonfiction, and an anthology. Achampong is also a journalist, filmmaker, a fine artist, a music producer, and a television producer.
About Prof. Ama Ata Aidoo
Prof. Ama Ata Aidoo is one of the most decorated feminist writers of recent times.
Her numerous works include Someone Talking to Sometime, Anowa, Our Sister Killjoy and Changes. Aidoo began to write seriously while still a student at the University of Ghana. She won early recognition with the groundbreaking play, The Dilemma of a Ghost (1965), in which a Ghanaian student returning home brings his African American wife into the traditional culture and the extended family that he now finds restrictive. In 1982–83 she served as Ghana’s minister of education.
AFFILIATES
â–£ Ghana Association of Writers
â–£ PanAfrican Writers Association
â–£ Ghana Book Publishers Association
â–£ Ghana Book Trust
â–£ Writers Project of Ghana
â–£ George Padmore Library
â–£ W. E. Dubois Center for Pan African Culture