Authenticity, Past and Present in Ghanaian Children’s Literature

In this paper we explore the portrayal of the ‘‘authentic’’ past in children’s literature in Ghana, as well as the problems it poses for the achievement of the broader goal of moulding children to fit into tomorrow’s society. We look at two main aspects: the social and moral settings portrayed in selected books. The social order refers to the time and place in which the story is set, as well as the nature of social organization pertaining to this setting. The moral order denotes the moral and psychological implications of the physical and social environment. Based on these criteria, we examine some unsuccessful texts and contrast them with successful ones. Our aim is to explore how tradition, more broadly conceived, can be effectively used in children’s books in order to combine the goal of cultural preservation and transmission with other equally lofty ones such as stimulating children’s imagination, arousing and sharpening their perception, developing their sense of observation and critical thinking, and shaping their emotional potential