An author and General Secretary of the Maritime and Dockworkers’ Union (MDU), Daniel Owusu-Koranteng, has called for frantic effort to develop the culture of reading in the youth.
“We need to develop strategies to get Ghanaians, especially the youth, to develop the culture of reading to keep them away from getting involved in crimes so that they can develop good habits of honesty, patriotism, excellence among others,” he said.
He noted that it has become a lucrative business for the youth to use social media as a tool for blackmail and other mercenary work in a bid to make fortunes, describing the situation as unfortunate. He said when the youth develop reading culture, it will take them away from the destructive tendencies of social media.
He has, thus, called on the nation to target the youth in the development of the culture of reading as part of a “Catch them Young” strategy.
New book
He said this at a short ceremony to unveil his new book, ‘Wanderer’s Poems-An Anthology of Twenty-Five Poems.’ This follows the publication of his autobiography, “Paying My Debt”, last year.
He explained that his books focus on topics of patriotism, hard work, emancipation, excellence, the misuse of religion as a tool for subjugation and deceit, among others.
According to Mr Owusu-Koranteng, his books are meant to support the redirection of the population, especially the youth, to a life of service to humanity, protection of the environment, sacrifice for nation and building a prosperous nation with the future in mind.
He explained that he started writing poems when he was 16 years, but could not preserve many of the poems he wrote.
He disclosed that he developed his reading culture before reaching the age of 10. According to him, this was inherited from his father, Rev Jacob Koranteng Asiedu, a Reverend Minister of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana.
“The availability of small libraries in classrooms some years ago helped school children to develop reading habits at an early age,” he said.
Mr Owusu-Koranteng is an accomplished writer with about 40 published articles to his credit. He co-authored two published books, “Training Manual for Advocacy in Mining Communities” and the “Right to Decide: Free Prior and Informed Consent in Ghana.”
