One of the features of the triennial LittWorld conference\norganized by Media Associates International (MAI) which LittAfrica, scheduled\nfor November 4-8 in Accra, Ghana, is patterned after, are workshop sessions\nduring which speakers on various areas of expertise in publishing address\nparticipants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Journalists for Christ International Outreach, Nigeria\nfellowship of September 21 in Lagos at which I spoke on the Ministry of the\nWriting turned out to be a foretaste of the kind of the engaging mutual\nlearning session participants at the Ghana conference should look up to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The presentation and review of African Writers: A Journey in\nWriting by MAI offered insights on experiences of some Christian writers across\nthe continent in their journeys to fulfilling the call to write despite various\nchallenges they had to cope with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The writers featured in the book with diverse professional\nbackgrounds include Joan Campbell (South Africa), Stella Okoronkwo ( Cote\nd\u2019Ivoire), Jennifer Karina (Kenya),\nJoanna Ilboudo ( Burkina Faso), Posunnam Yiri (Nigeria), Solomon Andria ( Cote\nd\u2019Ivoire), Buma Kor ( Cameroon), and\nmyself are some of the speakers at\nLittAfrica.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Others are Preka Toty ( Cote d\u2019Ivoire), Joel Sergio (Angola)\nand Lillian Tindyebwa (Uganda). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Writing as I noted at the meeting is God\u2019s gift which must\nnot be taken for granted. It must be developed and used to glorify God. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWriting can address current issues of our day. Writers can\ntransform lives using the gift God has given them. He will give you opportunities\nto stand for righteousness\u201d says Ilboudo in the collection. IIboudo has been\ndirector of a radio station and magazine editor for more than twenty years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For writers who sometimes get discouraged, Karina, a psychologist\nand professional coach notes in the book, \u201cdespite the many challenges of\nwriting, God is faithful. \u201cFear not for I am always with you\u201d he constantly\ncomforts me. He also reminds me, \u201cIt is not always about you, it is about the\nbigger picture.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sergio writes about the benefits of attending MAI conferences\nlike the one coming up in Ghana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAfter I had published my first book, I attended the LitWorld\nworkshop in Limuru, Kenya, where I learnt a lot from some famous and respected\nChristian authors, such as Jeanette Windle and Robin Jones Gunn. There, I also\nhad the opportunity to network and engage with some African colleagues with\nwhom I still communicate. Applying all I had learnt at LittWorld about ghost\nwriting and co-authoring, I wrote and published two more books.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
MAI is a print media ministry that seeks to equip men and\nwomen to create life-transforming books and articles in their language. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sessions at LittAfrica will include editorial development,\nmarketing, designs, printing, digital media and consultations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The JFC fellowship was also an opportunity to stress the need\nfor local authors to, as Betty Abbah, journalist, author and gender advocate\nputs it, \u201cdocument national institutional memories that present and future\ngenerations can learn from.\u201d The issue\nof publishing being either ministry or business or both was also extensively\ndiscussed by participants who were curious about how to fund their passion for\nwriting. We agreed that it was both with clear understanding of the issues\ninvolved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the book and the conference, Founding Chair of\nMAI-Africa, Wambura Kimunyu\u2019s prayer in the foreword is what I also pray and\nhope for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c I pay that the journeys they ( writers) share in this\nanthology will inspire you, challenge you, and ignite in you a vision to be a\npart of what God is doing through MAI to equip the Church in Africa so that it\ncan transform individuals, societies, and nations through the power of the\nwritten word\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And the writers and publishers of the word say Amen and Amen!\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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