Eugene Akoto Bamfo, 9 years old, was one of the students crowned winners of the 5th Annual Blooming Minds Young Writers and Achievers Awards, on the 1st of May 2021. The initiative which runs every year in Nigeria and Ghana aims to promote African literature and raise young leaders through literature and arts, by recognizing and rewarding children with creative abilities.
Eugene, a grade 3 student at Association International School, was a winner under category B which featured Short stories and poetry. The young, budding writer creatively penned down a 500-word essay on how COVID 19 had affected him and his environment.
“The theme for the competition was ‘My Community; My perspective. My personal experience, How Covid-19 has affected me and my community’. For me, it was an easy choice because even though the virus had affected me (and almost everyone) so negatively, my experience over the period when grandma caught a terrible cold and developed a fever remains the most terrible of all my experiences with the virus. We genuinely thought we would lose her” – Eugene Akoto Bamfo
For Eugene, the opportunity to write of an experience so close to him refined his ability to use knowledge and his exceptional writing skills to effectively communicate. Furthermore, it has fostered a new level of confidence necessary for his development into adulthood.
“Winning this award has exceeded all my expectations, and my expectations were pretty high, to begin with, the outpour of love and support has been nothing short of amazing. Firstly, my mum says I’m a celebrity now (I know she’s joking but I feel like one), but watching how my younger brother Nigel has been so motivated by my win means the world to me, it makes me want to do so much more”
Mr. Alex Mutwiri Kuigu, Eugene’s English teacher, also his favorite teacher, made the competition known to the class as well as Eugene’s mother, with much confidence in her son’s ability. Mr. Kiugu describes Eugene as an above-average student who is very open-minded, confident, knowledgeable, and a risk-taker.
The subtle encouragement from his teacher not only boosted his confidence but opened doors to the opportunity of taking home GHS 750 which Eugene used very adventurously.
“I’ve bought loads of storybooks from my cash price, a couple of toys, I had a photoshoot with my family featuring my prize, I took my cousins out for lunch and we continued to the Achimota playgrounds. My mum is organizing a vacation for the family in honor of my win and surprisingly she’s opened an account for me with the same amount!!!”
The Blooming Minds Young Writers Award aims to nurture a writing culture and promote arts in our youth community, providing children a platform to explore their creativity. They are motivated by our belief that creativity in children is a skill that builds a basis for a lifetime of clear communication, self-expression, and analytical thinking which will shape a huge part of every child’s future, and the future of our great country.
“This win is proof that when you put in the work, it will pay off, I encourage my peers to keep working hard and putting themselves out there because this world has a beautiful spot for each and every one of us” – Eugene Akoto Bamfo
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