From the literary community came iconic writers, such as Professor Wole Soyinka, J.P. Clark, Elechi Amadi, Chukwuemeka Ike and Gabriel Okara, who also had special days dedicated to them each day for journalists and the audience to interact with them.
Foreigners from the US, UK, Korea, Bangkok and African countries were also in Port Harcourt to participate in different events lined up for the opening ceremonies, which included international literature and culture exhibitions, public presentation of the book, 100 Years Around Port Harcourt, celebrity readings, drama presentations, panel discussions on the theme of the conference and with legendary Nigerian writers, ANA’s celebration of Achebe’s Arrow of God @ 50, among others.
The opening ceremony on Wednesday, May 23, at the Presidential Hotel, aside attracting literary greats mentioned above, had in attendance former Nigerian President, Abdusalam Abubakar (Rtd), who chaired the occasion, the Deputy Governor of Bangkok, Mr Ammorn Kitchawenghui, who came with a powerful delegation from Thailand that included poets and artistes. He was to formally hand over to the Rivers State governor, Rt Hon. Rotimi Amaechi the right the UNESCO World Book Capital 2014 till April 22, 2015 when it will hand it over to Incheon, South Korea.
It was a glamorous handover ceremony by Bangkok attended with puppet performances, traditional dances and poetic renditions from poets from the Asian country. The Deputy Governor of Bangkok, in addition, presented gifts to Governor Amaechi.
Though absent from the event, President Goodluck Jonathan, represented by his Special Assistant on Documentation, Ms. Molara Wood, identified with the Port Harcourt feat. “The designation of Port Harcourt as UNESCO World Book Capital 2014 is a major achievement that establishes this city as a centre of enlightenment and scholarship, and one which in going forward, we all can build upon, to reinforce the reading culture and improve the value of written information to the development of the thought process of humanity,” he said.
Commending the Rivers State Government for its direction and wonderful support for the Rainbow Book Club and the World Book Capital bid, President Jonathan said the event “is a testament to what can be achieved when well-meaning individuals and organizations are supported by government to push forward ideas that will transform and enrich the society”.
He also spoke of the federal government’s support for reading in the “Bring Back the Book” initiative started in 2010 shortly after he took over office as Nigeria’s president. Thus, he said, “It is to the glory of our collective effort, that the shared golden dream of the Rainbow Book Club, and the entire readership and literary community, for this city, has today been realised.”
Rivers State Deputy Governor, Tele Ikuru, in his speech, lauded the achievements of Governor Amaechi in placing premium on education and reading, which might seem strange to other governors. He assured all of the state governments continued support in that regard.
Governor Amaechi, a book lover, in his speech, restated his government’s firm belief in education as panacea to societal ills, recalling his harrowing experience in Rivers State when he assumed office in 2007, when militants held sway, leading to his resort to education and reading to engage the youths.
Amaechi said: “Our thinking was that if we could address literacy and get poor children back in schools, we could also directly guarantee sustainable development and effective governance,” just as he recommended education and agriculture as solutions to the Boko Haram menace in the north.
Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (Rtd), in his remarks, said Port Harcourt city has Nigeria and Africa proud by becoming the World Book Capital 2014, which corresponded with Nigeria’s centenary celebrations, affirming the importance of Port Harcourt feat, winning ahead of Oxford, among others.
Commending Governor Amaechi for the role he played in making that possible, he said Amaechi deserved commendation on his giant stride towards education development in the state, evidenced in the modernization of schools and heavy investments in school infrastructure, teachers training and welfares.
Similarly, he commended the Rainbow Book Club and Mrs. Koko Kalango for promoting the culture of reading and writing through the 8-year old Port Harcourt Book Festival formerly Port Harcourt Literary Festival), culminating the World Book Capital 2014 honour, hoping the effect of this World Book Capital 2014 clinch would reverberate across Nigeria and beyond.
The keynote speaker, Professor Soyinka, condemned the abduction of female students in Borno by Boko Haram, urging Nigeria’s to fight the wanton killing spree by the group. Elechi Amadi, Chair of the Panel of judges for the Africa39 initiative by Rainbow Book Club and Bloomsbury publishers, UK, spoke on the rigour involved in selecting the 39 lucky writers from a long list of contributors from across the continent, hailing the anthology of short stories as a remarkable achievement by African writers under 40.
The emphasis on schoolchildren by the Rainbow Book Club manifested in the public presentation of the book, 100 years Around Port Harcourt, a book of sights and sounds of Rivers State as told by the children. The project involved 230 children drawn from 23 public junior secondary schools in River State within the age range of 10 – 14. The anthology was supervised by their schoolteachers and edited jointly by Koko Kalango and Titi Horsfall.
Poet Gabriel Okara’s 93rd birthday corresponded with the programme. On Thursday, April 24, two journalists, Henry Akubuiro of The Sun newspaper and Anote Ajelorou of The Guardian newspaper, engaged him in a conversation, where he shed more light on his writing career. In attendance was Professors Wole Soyinka, JP Clark, among others.
Once again, Mrs Koko Kalango has demonstrated the power of books. It is rare to see book programmes impacting on society and attracting celebrities as she has done successfully. With the opening ceremonies over, a series of activities has been lined up till April next year to make the reign of Port Harcourt as the World Book Capital a success.
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