Renowned Ghanaian writer, poet, and former diplomat, Abena Pokua Adompim Busia, has opened up about the profound influence her father, Kofi Abrefa Busia, had on her passion for poetry.

She revealed that her childhood was steeped in literature, as poetry anthologies were a common sight in their home, nurturing her deep appreciation for the art of words.

Speaking on The Chat on Channel One TV on Saturday, March 22, Abena Busia reflected on how her father, a former Prime Minister of Ghana and an intellectual giant, cultivated an environment that encouraged a love for poetry and literature among his children.

She narrated that it was a household tradition for her and her siblings to read, memorise, and recite poems—a practice that left an indelible mark on her creative journey.

Her father’s insistence on this literary practice made poetry an integral part of her upbringing, shaping her artistic sensibilities and developing her ability to appreciate rhythm, structure, and the power of language from an early age.

“We grew up in a household that appreciated the arts. We grew up listening to the King James version of the Bible. One of the first things our father did was to buy a whole bunch of poetry anthologies and said to us to choose any poem and recite it to him after every Sunday dinner.

“And so we all grew up reading and reciting poetry, singing Methodist hymns without appreciation of the written and spoken word. And then we went to a little English country village school where we had this crazy man for a headmaster who will also read us stories at the end of every school day.”