Library of African Origin Authors Brings a Return to Reading

The Library of Africa and the African Diaspora (Loatad) is a boon for bibliophiles in Accra. Here you can explore its collection of more than 4,000 books by authors of African descent or book a stay at one of its guest rooms, themed around pioneering writers. Loatad founder Sylvia Arthur (right) talks to FLYafrica about how the collection grew out of her own love of reading and how she hopes the West Legon library and its outreach projects in Ghana will connect the country to its literary heritage as well as champion literacy and creativity.

HOME OF READING

The library’s main room

Ghana can at times be a heartbreaking experience for visitors from the African diaspora. There are few more despairing messages than the ‘The door of no return’ – inscribed above the portal where up until the mid 18th century slaves were ushered into New World-bound ships at Cape Coast Castle, now an essential stop for many on birth-right tours of the country. Yet, the country also represents the creativity that has risen resilient from these dark days. Among the places to connect to that culture is the Library of Africa and the African Diaspora (Loatad), a literary oasis in West Legon, Accra, with access to more than 4,000 works – many rare and out of print – by authors of African descent. Its founder, Sylvia Arthur, who has described Loatad as a “decolonised library”, says there is a sense of homecoming and belonging to be found within its booklined walls.

She says: “When you pass through our doors, you pass through what a visitor on one of our tours called ‘The Door of Return’. That’s because it’s a symbolic and literal return to knowledge of self through our literature and is the antithesis of Cape Coast’s ‘Door of No Return.’

“The library exists to show people, particularly those of us of African descent, that we are all connected and that what we’ve been told about ourselves, our people, and our history in regards to our literary and intellectual scholarship is false. Our tourism industry has been so monopolised by the experience of slavery that it’s easy to overlook our resilience and achievements. Loatad serves as a recognition and a celebration of both.”

Libreria Ghana and made available Arthur’s collection of 1,300 books that the voracious reader had taken just five years to accumulate. Arthur kept adding to the collection and it soon outgrew the oneroom office that housed it, prompting the Arthur, who was born and raised in the UK to Ghanaian parents, launched the library soon after deciding to set up home in Accra in 2017. Then it was called Loatad rebrand and a move to its current home in East Legon, which is large enough to accommodate the most prominent works among the library’s now more than 4,000-strong collection as well as guest rooms, a special collections/archive area, a screening room and an extensive outdoor event space.

A literary haven

Inside, the library brings Arthur’s love of books to life. Works by well-known and less discovered writers of African descent from the late 19th century to the present day fill towering wooden bookcases while framed photographs of pioneering authors such as Toni Morrison and James Baldwin along with the iconic original cover art for classics such as Ralph Ellison’s The Invisible Man line the walls and corridors. The main space is bathed in natural light from large windows and under each one a hand-carved Ashanti stool provides the ideal spot to sit and browse through a selected book.

Purchase a full annual library membership (starting from GHS 1200 or US$ 200) and this haven of peace and learning is available to use throughout its opening hours whether you want a centre for research, intellectual refuge or just peace and quiet. Full members can also borrow four works at a time from the collection (a standard membership, starting from GHS 600 or US$ 100, allows two books to be borrowed at a time, but without the opportunity to use the library facilities), which Arthur regularly adds to, she says, “to reflect the scope of African and diaspora literature”.

She adds: “In the past, I used to buy books for myself. Since opening the library, I buy books that are a good fit for our members and that expand the collection, by genre, geography and generation. When buying, I ask myself: What gaps exist in the collection? What are the key works that every library and collector should have? How can I develop the archive? We’ve also been fortunate to receive book donations from supporters as far afield as the United States and the UK who connect with our vision and want to contribute to our development. The current collection includes work by writers from the African continent, the Americas, the Caribbean, Europe, and beyond. We have books by writers from 41 of Africa’s 54 countries.”

While she is considerate of the tastes and needs of the growing membership in building the library’s collection, reading has always meant something very personal to Arthur. She credits books with getting her through a particularly isolating time working in Europe as a corporate communications consultant. What began as an “exhilarating” opportunity descended into frustration as she saw the UK’s preparations for Brexit conflict with her work promoting the freedom of movement of EU citizens.

She says: “The African American writer James Baldwin said: ‘You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was books that… connected me with all the people who were alive, who had ever been alive.’ Living and working in mainland Europe was extremely isolating and I got connection from African literature in a way that I wasn’t getting from real people I encountered in my everyday life.

“I learnt a lot about the labour market, migration, and competing national interests, and I got to travel around Europe, but I also experienced its darker side: the wilful ignorance and downright racism. After a few years, I’d had enough. I moved to Ghana and the rest is history.”

Signed copies

Loatad acts as a compendium of connections from a pantheon of writers who capture and articulate the African experience. The sense of belonging to something greater is there in the library’s archive room, which is a treasure trove of totemic artefacts and rare books, including signed copies of works by Ghana’s first president.

Arthur says: “We have two signed books by Kwame Nkrumah, but we usually only display one because of its unique backstory, which involves the then-US Ambassador to Ghana, the former Governor of Michigan, and Nkrumah’s private secretary, Michael Dei-Anang, who was a respected writer and poet in his own right.

“We have a complete collection of first edition books by [legendary Ghanaian writer] Ayi Kwei Armah, which are very rare. Some of them are signed and some come with personal letters. We also have a wonderful collection of original, first edition African Writers Series books, and a signed Chinua Achebe [Nigerian author of classic ‘Things Fall Apart’].

“One of the oldest books in our collection is an 1898 poetry volume by the African American writer, Paul Laurence Dunbar. We have a 1928 first edition of ‘Chaka’ by Basotho writer Thomas Mofolo and a typewriter that’s the same make and model used by South African writer Bessie Head. We are part library, part museum. Our collection is broad and deep.”

Arthur, who has had work published herself – her play, ‘Obama and Me’, which chronicles many of the barriers that her idealism ran up against in Europe, enjoyed a successful country-hopping tour – believes the library will prove an inspirational place for authors to write, think and discover. With this in mind, she has put plans in place for a writers-inresidence scheme.

“There is inspiration in being surrounded by beautiful, historic, culturally significant books and images of the writers who created them,” she says. “For me, the archive is fundamental, as is being in community with like-minded writers in an intellectually stimulating environment. We recently closed an open call for a programme we’re running in partnership with the Savannah Centre for Contemporary Art (SCCA) in which successful applicants will spend two weeks with us in Accra and two weeks at the SCCA in Tamale. We received close to 70 submissions from writers across Africa and the diaspora and we’re looking forward to hosting them in May, pandemic permitting.”

Guest rooms

As well as putting up writers, Loatad’s three guest rooms – each themed around influential Ghanaian writers – are available to book to any visitors who fancy some literary-themed leave.

“The rooms provide a unique travel experience,” Arthur says. “The main suite is the ‘Ama Ata Aidoo’, named after the pioneering feminist writer. It has an en-suite and its own balcony with views towards Great Hall at the University of Ghana. Then there’s the Ayi Kwei Armah, who is best known for his 1968 state-of-the-nation novel, ‘The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born’. Finally, the B Kojo Laing, in honour of one of my favourite writers, who was clearly ahead of his-time. Each room contains a biography of the writer, framed pictures and posters on the walls, and a book or two from the writer’s oeuvre so that guests can get to know the work of these great Ghanaian writers.”

Arthur says: “We have three key event strands that happen on a regular basis: Music That Matters, a live music event similar to [popular online series of intimate live concerts] NPR’s Tiny Desk; Outspoken, a platform showcasing emerging spoken word artists, and The Storytellers, which profiles Ghanaian storytellers of different kinds, in their own words. We’re also planning a festival for women.

RARE BOOKS

The collection includes first editions and signed copies

“We hope that all these events will take place physically, but the pandemic has shown us that we need to fast-track our digital strategy, including online events, so we can continue to produce the great events we’re known for and extend our reach.”

That reach has stretched far beyond the walls of the library from the start. With an expansive collection that is too much for one library, Arthur has since 2018 established a series of Little Librerias, bringing high quality books to schools and organisations in underprivileged communities. Schools in Ashaiman and Kumawu have benefitted and Loatad have also been involved in projects to improve the literacy skills of the children of market women in Accra and teenage footballers in Nima.

“The impact has been huge,” says Arthur. “We’ve seen children go from being barely literate or reluctant readers to excitedly coming to the library at every opportunity because

they now can’t get enough of books.To see a child fall in love with books isto witness his/her horizons broadenbefore your very eyes.”

The library’s work is also not justrestricted to the written word. Ghanahas a strong tradition or oral storytellingand Loatad is working to showcaseand preserve these tales.

“We have a project called WomenReading Women, which is a crowdsourcedaudio archive of Africanwomen stories read by Africanwomen,” Arthur says. “We recentlyreceived funding from the Goethe-Institut to add an oral element to theproject, collecting unwritten storiesfrom Ghanaian women along thesouthern coast. To us, oral storytellingis just as worthy of preservation aswritten storytelling. They’re two sidesof the same coin.”

NEW HOME

Loatad can be found in Accra’s West Legon

Guided tours

Efforts have also been made to makethe collection and archives of thelibrary headquarters in West Legonappeal to as wider group of peopleas possible. Arthur has been leadingthe twice-monthly public tours ofthe library, which, she says, are a60-minute “scholarly journey through

African literary history and haveattracted visitors from across Africa,the United States, the Caribbean,and Europe”, but new tour optionshave been introduced. The MbariExperience, is a deep dive into theoptimism and creative exuberanceof The Mbari Artists and WritersClub in 1960s Nigeria. Arthur says:“Our outdoor performance space isnamed after the club and is decked inpictures of the Mbari’s leading lights,who we discuss and whose work wego into in detail on the tour.”

Work is also under way to developa children’s tour for nine to 15-yearoldsthat will, Arthur says, “introducethem to the African literary canon in afun, engaging way”.

Young or old, a world of enlightenmentand connection awaits anyonewho passes through the ‘door ofreturn’ into this library.

To support Loatad’s work, visitpatreon.com/loatad

Follow on Instagram @loatad_org

To book tours, find out aboutmembership and upcoming events,visit the website at loatad.org

Library’s leading lights

Sylvia Arthur recommends five works from the library’s collection that covereach region of the continent.

‘Woman at Point Zero’, byNawal El Saadawi (Egypt)A classic that examinesthe psychological traumaof female oppression,from birth to adulthood,and what happens whenit drives a woman tobreaking point.

‘Disgrace’, by J.M.Coetzee (South Africa)A truly great novel thatexposes the sizzlingtensions of race andpower in post-apartheidSouth Africa throughthe story of a disgraced, white, middle-agedprofessor.

‘Silence Is My MotherTongue’, by Sulaiman Addonia (Eritrea/Ethiopia)Set in a refugeecamp in Sudan, thisintimate novel dissects theways society wages waron women and exploresthe stories we must tell tosurvive in a broken world.

‘Search Sweet Country’,by B. Kojo Laing (Ghana)A masterpiece thattakes the reader on a ride through politicallyturbulent 1970s Accrawith a cast of zanycharacters rendered inbeautiful prose.

‘La Bastarda’,byTrifonia Melibea Obono(Equatorial Guinea)The first novel by anEquatorial Guineanwoman to be translatedinto English, La Bastardais the powerful story oforphan Okomo, whodreams of finding herfather and herself.