Dr. Linda Ayade, the amiable wife of the Governor of Cross River State, Nigeria, is an intelligent, cultured and warm-hearted woman. She is not only easily lovable but also makes one feel at home in her presence when one is with her. Her passion for the growth and development of young people is infectious even as she is gentle and accommodating.
During one of those moments I shared with her, we discussed issues that had to do with the development of young people in Cross River State. From our conversation, her concern for the dearth of literary skills among young people was clear. We easily connected on this and together thought about a few ways to remedy this.
This was how the Linda Ayade Literary Art Competition was birthed. The “Linda Ayade Literary Art Competition” was thus conceived to promote literary prowess among young people in Cross River State who have a leaning to the arts and covers competitions in poetry and prose. The idea was widely applauded by stakeholders when it was unveiled.
The 2018 edition of the competition held successfully with the theme, “Cross River State: A Rich Cultural Heritage”. Hundreds of exciting entries were received with winners emerging through a very competitive process. From the number and quality of entries received, it was clear that the competition is already having the intended impact on the target population.
The importance of the growth of the literary art at national or sub national levels cannot be over emphasized. Literary art is necessary for the health and well-being of a society and Literature can be said to be a reflection of humanity and a way for us to understand each other. Promoting the growth of literary art in Cross River State thus is sure to have a lot of positive spin offs.
The prize money of the Linda Ayade Literary Art Competition which is One Thousand Pounds (Four hundred and fifty thousand Naira) for each of the categories has been approved by His Excellency, Sen. Ben Ayade, the Governor of the State. This is commendable even in the face of scarce resources in the State. We thank the Governor for his magnanimity.
The date and venue for the presentation of the prizes for the competition is soon to be announced even as organizers put modalities on ground to have a colourful outing. Our appreciation also goes to the wife of the Governor Dr. Linda Ayade for her continuing support for the competition even as the 2nd edition will soon be flagged off.
Finally, we celebrate stakeholders in the creative sector for receiving and embracing the initiative and for their immense support. We look forward to this mutually rewarding partnership going forward. And for all the media partners we say thank you. Let’s do it again.
Mr. Emmanuel Etim is former SSA to Governor Ayade on Creative and Knowledge Economy and writes from Calabar.
NOTE: Opinions expressed in this article are strictly attributable to the author, Emmanuel Etim, and do not represent the opinion of CrossRiverWatch or any other organization the author works for/with.
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