Meet Waterz Yidana the Ghanaian author who is making waves with his books
- Waterz Yidana has made a name for himself as one of Ghana's prolific authors
- At a very tender age, he has had the opportunity to meet some of the continent's greatest thinkers and writers
- He has won a number of enviable awards and has had his books in high demand
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Waterz Yidana is a respected Ghanaian writer who is gradually becoming a household name owing to the masterpieces he has penned in the form of books.
He became known in Ghana when he won the prestigious 40Under40 Awards in Authorship and Creative Writings in 2019, awarded by Xodus Communications.
He has been nominated for several awards in Ghana and he won some of them. His first play "The Mango Seed" won the Efo Kodjo Mawugbe's Prize in Drama in 2019, awarded by the Ghana Association of Writers (GAW).
Source: UGC
His second play "Madman and the Drunkards" which has been adopted by the University of Ghana for postgraduate studies also won the Efo Kodjo Mawugbe's Prize in Drama in 2017, awarded by the Ghana Association of Writers (GAW).
The book is in the libraries of ivy league universities abroad such as: Harvard, Oxford, Stanford, Princeton and many others.
The Ghana Education Service (GES) also approved and recommended it for Senior High Schools in Ghana.
In fact, "Madman and the Drunkards" is regarded as the next "Things Fall Apart" in Africa.
It is 'highly likely' to be on the next list of books the West African Examination Council (WAEC) would consider for Core Literature in English for Senior High Schools in West Africa.
The book has been positively reviewed by prominent writers and English Professors in both Ghana and abroad.
Many people have accepted that it is one of the greatest plays written by a Ghanaian. The play has generated some good income for the multiple award-winning writer.
Waterz Yidana was recently nominated for the "Discovery of The Year Award" by the Ghana Arts and Culture Awards. He has earned several award nominations and has won a good number of them.
PROFILE SUMMARY OF WATERZ YIDANA
1. Pen Name: Waterz Yidana
2. Full Name: Yidana Sulemana Mohammed Awal
3. Date of Birth: 16th April, 1987
4. Nationality: Ghanaian
5. Hometown: Gbimsi-- Walewale
6. Profession: Writer/Publisher/Teacher/Entrepreneur
7. Education: University of Cape Coast, Accra College of Education, Walewale Secondary Technical School
8. Awards: 40Under40 Awards, Efo Kodjo Mawugbe's Prize in Drama
9. Passion: Reading, Writing, Activism, Surfing online and listening to music
10. Role Models: Kwame Nkrumah, Wole Soyinka, Thomas Sankara, Steve Biko, Che Guevara, Malcolm X, Tupac, Peter Tosh, Mark Twain.
Waterz Yidana was born to a Ghanaian father and a Togolese mother.
His mother hails from a town called Voga, a suburb of Lome, in Togo. He was partly raised and educated in Lagos - Nigeria.
He dedicated his award-winning book "Madman and the Drunkards" to Mankudivi his son because the book was published the same year the boy was born.
He is a columnist with GhanaWeb and ModernGhana. He writes for The Mirror, Junior Graphic and other magazines on the African continent.
He is also an activist and a social media commentator especially on Facebook where he puts a lot of his quotations, on daily basis.
He has just finished writing two new books: the first one is titled, "Thomas Sankara's Ghost" and the second one is also titled, "The Land of God". Both books are plays and will very soon be in the market for Ghanaian students and the general public to purchase.
The award-winning writer has also had some media exposure. He has been interviewed on both TV and radio to talk about his books and activism.
YEN earlier reported that the founder and leader of Glorious Wave Church International, Prophet Emmanuel Badu Kobi, has said in a new video that Ghana's next election would be won by a woman.
While speaking in a radio interview, the popular man of God said if everything goes according to the will of God, a woman would definitely be Ghana's president.
He however added that people were working out things in the spirit to ensure that the said woman does not rise to become the leader of the nation.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
