In this edition, Lise interviews Adrian Nyarko-Boateng, a 14-year-old award-winning writer from Ghana, who shares his inspiring journey to winning the African Teen Awards. Adrian discusses his passion for writing, the influence of his upbringing, his aspirations as a writer, and his advice for fellow young creatives striving to achieve their dreams.
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Lise: Happy New Year, Adrian. Can you please introduce yourself to our audience?
Adrian: First of all, I wish everyone a happy new year, and I would like to say that I’m delighted to be interacting with you on the Writers Space Africa magazine. My name is Adrian Nyarko-Boateng, I’m from Accra, the capital city of Ghana, to be precise, and I’m fourteen years of age. I grew up, being home-schooled by my parents alongside my two siblings, and writing and reading was a very natural and frequent thing for me.
Lise: How long have you been writing?
Adrian: Well, I started writing at a very young age, and given that I was exposed to reading and writing at that tender age, I developed great writing skills and had it at my fingertips. My parents, who happen to be very good authors always tutored and encouraged me to gain the knowledge and skill of writing. They have shaped me to be able to conquer this competition today.
Lise: What inspires you?
Adrian: Well, what inspires me to be the best of myself is the urge for a brighter and better future, not only for me but for my family and friends. With this urge, I push myself to work hard every single day so that I can achieve my greatest goals and pursue lifetime success.
Lise: How would you describe the world?
Adrian: I will describe the world as a very wonderful place filled with loads of God’s creations, and people are the most special of all. Unfortunately, I see our beautiful world to be slowly declining of its once fabulous nature, and it’s all due to human carelessness and ignorance. I know together, we all can make this world a better place and not watch it totally crumble
Lise: I agree. Anyway, congratulations on winning the African Teen Awards. Can you share with me your journey to winning that?
Adrian: Thank you very much. It’s an honour to have emerged as a winner. It took a lot of hard work and determination on a long-term basis. As I mentioned earlier, I started writing at a very young age, which equipped me with all the knowledge to be able to write and win this spectacular Teen Award.
Lise: I love that for you. Your hard work and determination paid off. By the way, what’s your way forward as a writer?
Adrian: Well, winning this award has given me a very great boost of confidence already, which should drive me to even more success as a writer. Also, I have a very good level of consistency in writing, and with the right determination, I see even more success ahead. I’m also into the writing of fictious novels, which bring a lot of pleasure and entertainment to the reader and I’m looking to publish most of my works over the years and eventually become a best-selling author.
Lise: Wishing you luck.
Adrian: Thank you
Lise: Do you have any hobbies? If yes, what are they?
Adrian: Obviously, reading and writing are some of my hobbies, which I frequently do for pleasure and my entertainment. Besides that, I’m also a sportsman, and I’m pursuing a career in football as well. I sometimes play the sport with my friends at home during my leisure time. Even though I don’t have the means to do so right now, I look forward to visiting attractions all over the world in the near future.
Lise: Aww! That’s so beautiful. Adrian, which advice would you like to give your fellow young writers?
Adrian: Okay, to my fellow young writers, I would like to encourage them to keep working hard and keep writing until they achieve their goals. I also want to say that in writing, creativity is key, so I urge them to be more and more creative when writing and be the best they can be.
Lise: Fantastic. Is there anything you would like to add?
Adrian: I would also like to thank the management of the Writers Space Africa for giving an opportunity to young teens in Africa to express themselves through writing. I also want to say it has been a pleasure interacting with the WSA team, and thank you for having me.
Lise: Thank you so much, Adrian. I wish you all the best in your future endeavours.
Adrian: Thank you, ma’am.
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Read – Elizabeth Chuma Akunyili – Writing Change, Breaking Barriers, and Redefining Wellness
