An event dubbed “Literary Sunday” was held over the weekend at the ZOY Gardens, Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), in honour of the late Nana Kwesi Gyan-Apenteng, a veteran journalist and former chairman of the National Media Commission (NMC).
Organised by the Writers’ Front, the event was marked with the reading of tributes by personalities in the media and literary space, invocations, and musical performance by Opanyin Osei Korankye through the playing of “seperewa”, an indigenous string musical instrument.
It also featured poetry recitals by students from the Humanity Intellectual Academy and College.
Among the personalities at the event were Ambassador Kabral -Blay Amihere, Professor Esi
Sutherland-Addy, Dr Sarah Dorgbadzi, Dr Gheysika Agambila, Mr Asare Konadu Yamoah, Mrs Elizabeth Ohene and Mrs Adjoa Yeboah-Afari (former editor of the Ghanaian Times).
Also present were the management and staff of the GBC, including the Director-General, Professor Amin Alhassan.
Mr Amihere described the late Gyan-Apenteng as “Soledad”, a term which he said reflected the life and character of Gyan-Apenteng.
According to him, Gyan-Apenteng earned the name “Soledad” as a result of his active involvement in rallies and protest on campus at the tertiary level, especially during the 70s when there was a worldwide protest against the detention of the Jackson brothers.
Dr Agambila highlighted the contributions of Gyan-Apenteng to the Ghana Association of Writers (GAW), including the introduction of the GAW Sunday.
Moreover, he said that Gyan-Apenteng was a man who lived by his words and therefore urged Ghanaians to emulate such a principle.
Dr Comfort Asare, a former member of the NMC, through her spoken word said that Gyan-Apenteng shaped the country’s media landscape and ensured the adherence to media ethics, adding, “such a legacy will continue to live on.”
Mr Albert Kofi Owusu, the General Manager of the Ghana News Agency (GNA), in his tribute, said “Nana Gyan-Apenteng was more than a journalist. He was a true statesman and a guiding light in Ghana’s media world.”
He further noted that Gyan-Apenteng, who was the board chairman of the GNA, played a key role in the protection of press freedom and supported a strong democratic media.
Mr Owusu said that the GNA benefited from the experience of Gyan-Apenteng and was also a
humble servant who was easy to approach by everyone. Prof. Sutherland-Addy described Gyan-Apenteng as “cosmopolitan” and “incomparable” and urged protégés to “step up and showcase what they have learnt from him.”
Nana Gyan-Apenteng passed away in London in May this year, aged 74, after a short illness.
His remains arrived in the country last month and was received at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) by family members and Mr George Sarpong, Executive Secretary of the NMC, ahead of the funeral, burial, and thanksgiving service to he held from October 3- 5, 2025, at Ati Amanfrom in the Eastern Region.
Nana Gyan-Apenteng served as the chairman of the 8th NMC from November 2015 to November 2018 after Ambassador Kabral Blay-Amihere had finished serving his tenure.
Also, he was a consultant in communication, media, and culture, and the President of the Ghana Association of Writers (GAW).
BY BENJAMIN ARCTON-TETTEY