Welcome to Writers Space Africa (WSA)

Welcome to the month of May, featuring an edition of the Writers Space Africa magazine on the theme, YOUTH. Youth is commonly defined as the transitional phase between childhood and adulthood, characterised by growth, development, and the pursuit of independence. The United Nations, for statistical purposes, defines youth as individuals aged 15 to 24 years, though this definition may vary across cultures and contexts.

As young people in Africa, we are the next front liners of change on our continent. The tomorrow of Africa lies on our shoulders and we cannot afford to fail her. In this edition, our esteemed writers have crafted stories, poems and personal experiences that have defined the time of youth at various instances. One of the life lessons learnt while editing this issue is that; decisions we take today affect our tomorrow.

Dearest readers, permit me to use my note to you in this edition to sound a clarion call for a joint fight against drug abuse among our brethren. You and I might not be involved but of course there are young Africans out there who are wasting away on daily basis due to drug abuse. The saddening part is that, they work so hard and at the end of the day all their fortunes end up in the sales of heartless drug dealers who clearly do not care about their tomorrow. However, the future of Africa belongs to us, the future of Africa relies on us and if we take careless decisions today, does it not mean that our future will be careless as well? Let us rise up as soon as possible to curb this rapidly growing menace before it eats up our innovations, promises and talents.

Back to our edition, take your time to read every word. Process the lines, put yourself in place of the characters at play and pick your nuggets because I believe there is something for everyone. Let’s all channel our youthful flames into becoming beacons of change for tomorrow. To our older siblings and parents who have already passed through this stage, do not hide your insights and lessons from us no matter how piercing they might be. We need them to light our paths and refine our actions as well as our ideas.

Drawing down the curtains, a friend and dear colleague named Justice Alor (Ghanaian) in the process of contesting for presidency at the University of Ghana Student Representative Council once said: “TOMORROW BEGINS TODAY.” It is indeed true that the happenings today cast shadows of things to come.

Happy Reading!

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Comfort Naana Adwoa Okyere
Chief Editor,
Writers Space Africa Magazine.