01/09/2025
Credit to Mey3 Asanteni Page
The 2025 Edition of Otumfuo Community Reading Challenge kicks off today at the Great Hall of KNUST, Kumasi.
Who wins the;
• GHC 10,000 cash prize
• Another GHC 10,000 awarded to his/her school
• A full university scholarship
• A trophy and a medal
• Additional sponsored gifts.
Through the Otumfuo Community Reading Challenge by the Otumfuo Osei Tutu II Foundation, the Asantehene is preserving the Asante Twi and English, inspiring non-native speakers to embrace it, and setting an example of how indigenous languages can be celebrated with dignity and purpose.
What makes this initiative remarkable is not only its emphasis on Asante Twi, but also its ability to draw in students from diverse ethnic and linguistic backgrounds. In communities across Asanteman and beyond, one finds Ga, Ewe, Dagomba, Fante, Nzema, Frafra, Ahanta, Sefwi, Kusase etc children earnestly learning Asante Twi, not because it is imposed upon them, but because mastery of the language is essential to succeed in the competition. In effect, Otumfuo has made Twi a language of academic excellence and aspiration, not just of heritage.
At the finals held in the historic Manhyia Palace, students from various communities stand before the a large audience and diplomats reading confidently in Twi and English. The symbolism is profound: Ghana’s future leaders, regardless of ethnic background, are embracing an indigenous language in the very heart of Asante culture.
This stands in stark contrast to the bitter exchanges over signage at the airport. The OCRC demonstrates that languages need not compete for visibility through conflict. Instead, they thrive when their custodians create platforms that make them attractive to young learners. Otumfuo’s model shows that to safeguard a language, one must invest in it, celebrate it, and pass it proudly to the next generation.
Participants of the Otumfuo Community Reading Challenge get the chance to attend prestigious High Schools across the country. Some past contestants have had the opportunity to attend notable schools like Prempeh College, Opoku Ware School, Yaa Asantewaa Girls’ SHS, St. Louis SHS, Wesley Girls’ High School both in Kumasi and Cape Coast, Achbishop Porter Girls’ SHS, St. Peter’s SHS, Legon PRESEC, Osei Tutu Boys School, Kumasi High School, Mfantsipim School, Aburi Girls’, Mfantsiman Girls’, Holy Child School, Kumasi Anglican SHS, TI Ahmadiyya SHS, KNUST SHS, Kumasi Academy etc.
In the Otumfuo Community Reading Challenge, Twi is not only surviving, it is flourishing. And in that flourishing, Ghana may find the blueprint for honoring all of its rich and diverse languages.
