The e-Ananse Library came alive after a visually impaired student did a public reading of the braille extract of ‘The Magic World of Big Adam’.

The newly launched novel for pupils and students is written by the author of ‘Passing the BECE – A Step-by-Step Approach,’ Farouk Abdul-Rahman.

The colourful book launch, held in Osu, saw the gathering of individuals and institutions with interest in reading and writing.

Edwin Ofosu, a first-year visually-impaired student of Akuapeman Senior High School put up an impressive first-time public reading of the much-awaited thriller to the admiration of the audience.

His participation in the launch is part of steps the writer is taking to engage more visually-impaired people in the reading culture.

Chairperson for the event and Executive Director of the Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations, Rita Kusi Kyeremaa said: “The initiative to make the novel accessible to persons with disabilities in braille, easy read and audio versions, among others, will ensure that persons with disabilities can enjoy this exciting novel. I encourage corporate organisations and individuals to support this initiative of promoting access to 'The Magic World of Big Adam' through the 'Read to Grow Project' we are launching today.”

Speaking at the event, Keynote speaker and Deputy General Secretary of the Ghana Association of Writers (GAW), Kofi Marrah, added that, "On this occasion, I would like to say GAW is proud to be associated with this book for our students.

"While we support writers like F.A. Rahman to write for our society’s development, the association is working under difficult conditions to achieve its objectives," he said

Mr Marrah added revealed that some of the constraints of GAW included the lack of financial support from the State, that fact that literature books by Ghanaian authors are rarely bought and supplied to schools and community libraries, and publishing and marketing difficulties.

He however outlines some of the steps that GAW had taken to address these difficulties.

“Steps taken by GAW to address some of these difficulties include submitting a proposal to the Creative Arts Council of Ghana for support for writers, initiating the formation of a Coalition of Book Industry Stakeholders, planning to establish the Writers Enterprise Fund, and a GAW e-book Platform to publish e-books along the lines of Amazon,"

Kofi Marrah believes that these steps will go a "long way to sustain and grow the book industry".

Mr Rahman reemphasized his resolve to help in the literary development of school-goers in the country through his Read to Grow project.

He became attracted to the ‘Read to Grow’ project after acknowledging the positive impact reading has had on his life, concluding that a good reading habit is the best way for the youth to develop their minds and contribute meaningfully to society.

His book ‘The Magic World of Big Adam’ is a fictional story that recounts events and imaginations of his time at St. Augustine’s College, and he hopes it becomes a great stay-at-home companion too.