Heritage Dialogue, led by its founder, Dr. Florence Plockey, joined writers, readers and cultural practitioners at the 10th anniversary celebration of the Pa Gya! Literary Festival, held from 15th to 17th October 2026 in Accra. Launched in 2017 and held every October, Pa Gya! is a three-day literary arts festival celebrating books, storytelling and creative expression. It is jointly organised by the Writers Project of Ghana, the Goethe-Institut Ghana and the Foundation for Contemporary Art–Ghana, and hosted in Cantonments, Accra. The festival spotlights Ghanaian and African writers, uplifts under-recognised local talent and fosters international cultural exchange, and this 10th edition welcomed participants from across West Africa, including Liberia and Nigeria, and from Europe, North America and the Caribbean. On Saturday, 17th October, the Heritage Dialogue team led two panel sessions that explored where reading happens and how Africa’s oral heritage can be preserved for future generations.
The first session, “Where Do We Go to Read?”, featured Yaw Mankatah Asare, Dr. Florence Plockey and Enyonam Damesi, and turned attention from what we read to where we read. The panellists reflected on libraries as community anchors, while noting that many are under-resourced or seen only as places for study and examinations. They highlighted homes and schools as the first places where reading habits are formed, and celebrated newer spaces such as bookshops, book clubs, reading cafés, mobile libraries and literary festivals. The growing role of phones, e-books and audiobooks was also discussed, alongside concerns about cost, connectivity and the limited availability of African content. The panel agreed that readers go where they find stories reflecting their own languages and experiences, and that creating accessible reading spaces is a shared responsibility.
The second session, moderated by Amarachukwu Obika-Stevens, featured Dr. Florence Plockey, Donus W. Buadi, Festus Amoako and Yao Joseph Edem Homadji Ladzekpo on the theme “Sources of Oral Tradition for Writers: Preserving Indigenous Knowledge and Cultural Heritage.” The panel challenged conventional Eurocentric approaches to preserving oral tradition and advocated Afrocentric approaches that respect its living, communal character. The question of authenticity took centre stage, as panellists asked who determines what is authentic information and whose versions of a story are left out. The roles of state institutions such as the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, libraries and archives were also brought into question, and writers were encouraged to draw on oral sources respectfully, as custodians rather than mere collectors.
Although the two sessions approached heritage from different angles, they converged on one message. Reading spaces and oral traditions are both carriers of identity, memory and knowledge, and both are at risk when neglected. The second session reached a strong consensus that everyone, from families and elders to writers, librarians, archivists, cultural institutions and government, has a role to play in preserving Africa’s cultural heritage, because today’s story will be tomorrow’s history. Heritage Dialogue thanks all panellists, the moderator, participants and the Pa Gya! organisers for a memorable 10th anniversary celebration, and looks forward to continuing these conversations.
