One of the most important skills I’ve learned (and continue to learn) while running an NGO is the refinement of vision. It’s crucial to have a vision and to write it down, but I’ve learned not to write it in stone—rather to write it in clay so that it can be examined and reworked before being fired. We’ve had to refine our visions for a library in Ghana, the building design, the way it would serve the community, the way it would be funded, and much more. An idea—even an informed one—hardly ever comes out as a final draft.
Re-examining the Twi Comic Book
Back in August, I wrote this post about our plan to publish a Twi comic book. This was based on a great deal of research, but it was also informed by something else: my personal bias and desire for control. The model was essentially the same as many literary non-governmental organizations (LINGOs) in Africa: hire local writers and illustrators to tell the story you want the people in the context to hear. Since writing this plan, I’ve continued my doctoral research in African-language literatures and done quite a bit of critical reflection on my relationship to this organization and the rural Ghanaian context. I’ve studied and reflected on case studies of comic books published in Africa with this model which, though beautiful, show little engagement or readership among the populations they supposedly publish for.
All of this has prompted me to ask this question: Who is telling these stories and for/to whom? At the end of the day, I realized that all my research, though sound, was so focused on the how to do something and that I had lost sight of why to do it. I was planning to hire Ghanaian artists to paint my vision. But is the publication for me? No. Is it for Untold? No. It’s supposed to be for rural Twi speakers. Untold’s slogan is “Giving a blank page to the unheard” but I was planning to write on the page and hand it to them.
Refocusing on our WHY
All these revelations have prompted a complete reassessment of this Twi publication and a refinement of the vision. Rather than shift our focus to a brand-new sector and launch some grandiose initiative, we’re going to stick closer to the roots we have in the village of Asisiriwa where we already have a language arts center and small staff teaching eager students. We’re going to stick closer to who and where we are. Instead of a Twi comic book mass-published for all Twi speakers, we are going to start a Twi student magazine imagined by, created by, and published by the students at Kasadwini Atenaeɛ for their own community.
Not only is this initiative much closer to our mission statement, but it’s also more sustainable and the resources to accomplish it have been right in front of us the whole time. We already have a wonderful teacher, Mary, who can lead writing workshops so the students can craft written content. Kumi, our excellent librarian, already has a small reading club of dedicated students who may be interested in leading the magazine club that puts the thing together and publishes it. It also just so happens that my mother, Anne, has experience both leading writing workshops and training teachers in Colorado, and she’s been looking for ways to support Untold with her talents.
Our plan for student magazines in Ghana
Thus, the plan has unfolded that as soon as COVID allows, Anne will fly to Ghana on a yearly basis and lead trainings for our staff, which will eventually grow as we add more language arts centers in other parts of Ghana. These staff members can then return to their students, lead writing workshops in their languages, and aid the students in producing a magazine for their local communities in their local languages. The publications will start as small as they need to and will grow as large as the readers and creators want. At some point, we’d love for the magazine clubs to take over the process completely and even help younger students to publish magazines for their peers.
How YOU can help make the student magazine a reality
So what can you do to help this refined vision happen? First, you can become an Untold Dollar donor and support this effort with just $1 per month. Second, you can share this vision and the Untold Dollar with your friends and family. It may not seem like much, but a community of Untold Dollar donors gives us an income every month that we can plan for and grow these little initiatives from the ground up.
If you’re already an Untold Dollar donor, thank you so much for your support and involvement in this journey. Some cool things are happening because of you.
