Where We Are: Writing in the West African Context

In West Africa and in Ghana, there exist many modes of communication beyond the verbal and written. For example, at the chiefs' palaces there exist many systems of communication; notably, symbols (ideographs) that tell the philosophies and stories of the chiefs and the people of the tribes. In Ghana, as in many West African countries, it is difficult to center the study of writing because writing is micro-inscribed in the macro study of English. The study of writing forms a small section of the study of the English language. The educational systems and its students hardly recognize writing's distinctiveness or necessity. The school curricula are remnants of the colonial empire, and they inadvertently continue to maintain and promote gatekeeping structures and practices--especially in defining and teaching writing. In this article, the authors explore the West African context by focusing more specifically on writing at the high school level among the five English-speaking countries: The Gambia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Ghana. The authors made this choice because these five West African countries write common regional examinations organized by the West African Examination Council (WAEC). With respect to how writing is taught at the higher education level, the authors decided to focus on Ghana only.