As a nation, Liberians cannot write, and I believe this prevents us from reaching our fullest potential both in our own country and in foreign nations.
Diaspora Liberians who have left Liberia often feel like their only option is resorting to odd jobs that don’t require much literacy – jobs that have little to no growth, which keeps us behind our African counterparts.
In Liberia itself, big name companies come into the nation and bring their own qualified employees for top positions, leaving the menial labor to Liberians because not many of us are qualified, due to the low literacy rates.
The inability to write is a foundational issue in Liberia, and I believe tackling this vulnerability is a huge step in empowering our people, in hopes of the overall development of the nation.
That is why I got the concept of hosting a writing workshop to celebrate the launch of my blog, The Colloqua Dialogues.
I knew I wanted to do something impactful in Liberia instead of just hosting another party. I wanted to remain true to the mission of the blog and host an event that will not only showcase Liberians but would also try to tackle one of the foundational issues of Liberia – low literacy rates.
The Writing Workshop will be held on Wednesday, December 16, 2015, in honor of the first anniversary and official Launch of the blog. It will be free, and open to up to 100 persons, ages 18-35, on a pre-registered and first come, first served basis.
Sessions will include: The Basic Do’s and Don’ts of Writing, Resume/Cover Letter Writing, Scholarly Writing, and Business/Professional Writing. The Workshop will be followed by a reception that will serve as a networking session, and a platform to showcase vendors, and youth-owned businesses and initiatives.
If anyone who will be in Monrovia on the date of the event is interested in conducting the workshop, participating, or being a vendor, they can reach me at adriennetingba@gmail.com.
Featured photo courtesy of Adrienne Tingba
