Co-founder and CEO of Golden Baobab, Deborah Ahenkorah, wins the 2019 Global Pluralism Award.
Presented by the Global Centre for Pluralism, an international research and education centre located in Ottawa, Canada, it celebrates achievement and excellence in the field of pluralism. The award is presented once in two years, to individuals, businesses, governments and organisations of any nationality.
Ghanaian educator and activist, Deborah Ahenkorah, is a social entrepreneur, children’s book publisher and an advocate for greater representation in children’s literature. She co-founded Golden Baobab to empower African writers and illustrators to tell African children’s stories.
About the award, Deborah Ahenkorah said; “I feel incredibly blessed to receive this award and after a decade of work championing the importance of African literature for children, this honour highlights how much closer we are to the goal of placing African children’s literature on a deserving global pedestal. I continue to look forward to that day when you can walk into a bookstore anywhere in the world and find incredible African stories available for all.”
Chair of the Award Jury, Joe Clark, former Prime Minister of Canada said; “The jury was inspired by the vital work of the award winners and the hundreds of impressive submissions received. They are all deeply committed to equipping the next generation of leaders with the knowledge and empathy to respond to the biggest challenges to pluralism today and in the future.”
