Ferdinand Kwasi Fiawoo
Encyclopedia
Ferdinand Kwasi Fiawoo was a Ghanaian minister of religion, playwright and educator, founder of Zion College, the first secondary school in Ghana's Volta Region
.
in 1920, he began improving his schooling with correspondence courses. In 1928 he travelled to the United States of America and studied at Johnson C. Smith University
in Charlotte, North Carolina
. In five years he gained a Bachelor of Arts
degree, a Bachelor of Divinity
degree, a Master of Theology
degree and a certificate in education. While a student, he also wrote his first Ewe
drama, Toko Atolia, which won a prize from the International Institute of African Languages and Culture in London
. In 1933 he was ordained an AME Zion Church minister at Gloversville, New York
.
Returning to the Gold Coast
in November 1933, Fiawoo was appointed a Superintendent of the AME Zion Church in East Gold Coast, and General Manager of the Zion Education Unit at Keta
. After co-founding the Gold Coast People's College at Adidome
, he set about founding a new private secondary school in Anloga
, the first secondary school in the Volta Region. The New Africa University College opened with 44 students in 1938. Fiawoo, his staff and students toured his plays to raise funds for the school: Toko Atolia toured in 1940, and Tuinese in 1946, with an English version in 1947. Funding was also secured from the AME Zion Church in 1948, and some government subsidies from 1952.
In 1945 Fiawoo gained a PhD from Roosevelt University
in Chicago
. He entered politics in 1951, as a member of the Legislative Assembly of the Gold Coast representing the Council of Chiefs for the Anlo state. His house was burnt down in an Anloga riot against taxes in January 1953, and Fiawoo did not return to politics after losing his Assembly seat in the 1954 elections. In 1952 he resigned as headmaster of New Africa University College. The college changed its name to Zion College and relocated to Keta
; Fiawoo remained chairman of the college's Board of Governors from 1954 until his death in 1969. He was simultaneously, from 1953, Chairman of Keta secondary school Board of Governors. In 1966 he co-founded the Bishop Small Theological College, named after John Bryan Small
, at Whuti.
Fiawoo married five times: in succession, Frederica Nukamowor Atagba (1917), Grace Kuwor Duse-Anthony (1919), Charity Zormelo
(1942, a teacher at the college, who died in October 1945), Flora Fiwor Gedza (1951) and Faustina Adzoyo Manyo, née Amedume (1963).
Volta Region
Volta Region is one of Ghana's ten administrative regions. It is to the east of Lake Volta. Its capital is Ho.-List of districts:The region has 18 districts consisting of 3 municipal and 15 ordinary districts:-Background:...
.
Life
Ferdinand Kwasi Fiawoo was the son of John Kpeglo Fiawoo, a self-made businessman who belonged to the royal family of the Awadada Stool of the Anlo state, and his wife Maria Dzatugbei Dadsehoe Agbodzi. Initially discouraged from trying from the ministry, he entered commerce with a brother. After visiting FreetownFreetown
Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone, a country in West Africa. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean located in the Western Area of the country, and had a city proper population of 772,873 at the 2004 census. The city is the economic, financial, and cultural center of...
in 1920, he began improving his schooling with correspondence courses. In 1928 he travelled to the United States of America and studied at Johnson C. Smith University
Johnson C. Smith University
Johnson C. Smith University is a private, co-ed, four-year liberal arts institution of higher learning located in the heart of Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. It is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church. JCSU is also a historically black college...
in Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
. In five years he gained a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree, a Bachelor of Divinity
Bachelor of Divinity
In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies....
degree, a Master of Theology
Master of Theology
A Master of Theology is an advanced theological research degree offered by universities, divinity schools, and seminaries.-North America:In North America, the Master of Theology is considered by the Association of Theological Schools to be the minimum educational credential for teaching...
degree and a certificate in education. While a student, he also wrote his first Ewe
Ewe language
Ewe is a Niger–Congo language spoken in Ghana, Togo and Benin by approximately six million people. Ewe is part of a cluster of related languages commonly called Gbe, spoken in southeastern Ghana, Togo, and parts of Benin. Other Gbe languages include Fon, Gen, Phla Phera, and Aja...
drama, Toko Atolia, which won a prize from the International Institute of African Languages and Culture in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. In 1933 he was ordained an AME Zion Church minister at Gloversville, New York
Gloversville, New York
Gloversville is a city in Fulton County, New York, that was once the hub of America's glovemaking industry with over two hundred manufacturers in Gloversville and Johnstown. In 2000, Gloversville had a population of 15,413. Ten years later, the population had increased to 15,665- History :The...
.
Returning to the Gold Coast
Gold Coast (British colony)
The Gold Coast was a British colony on the Gulf of Guinea in west Africa that became the independent nation of Ghana in 1957.-Overview:The first Europeans to arrive at the coast were the Portuguese in 1471. They encountered a variety of African kingdoms, some of which controlled substantial...
in November 1933, Fiawoo was appointed a Superintendent of the AME Zion Church in East Gold Coast, and General Manager of the Zion Education Unit at Keta
Keta
Keta is a city in Volta Region, Ghana. It was an important trading post between the 14th and late 20th century via a port and fort built by the Dutch in 1784. Parts of the city were devastated by sea erosion between the 1960s and 1980s....
. After co-founding the Gold Coast People's College at Adidome
Adidome
Adidome is the capital of the North Tongu District in the Volta Region of Ghana. The Volta River flows close to it on its way into the Atlantic Ocean.-External links and sources:*...
, he set about founding a new private secondary school in Anloga
Anloga
Anloga is a town in Keta District of the Volta Region in southeast Ghana, West Africa. It lies east of the Volta River and just south of the Keta Lagoon.-History:...
, the first secondary school in the Volta Region. The New Africa University College opened with 44 students in 1938. Fiawoo, his staff and students toured his plays to raise funds for the school: Toko Atolia toured in 1940, and Tuinese in 1946, with an English version in 1947. Funding was also secured from the AME Zion Church in 1948, and some government subsidies from 1952.
In 1945 Fiawoo gained a PhD from Roosevelt University
Roosevelt University
Roosevelt University is a coeducational, private university with campuses in Chicago, Illinois and Schaumburg, Illinois. Founded in 1945, the university is named in honor of both former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. The university's curriculum is based on...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. He entered politics in 1951, as a member of the Legislative Assembly of the Gold Coast representing the Council of Chiefs for the Anlo state. His house was burnt down in an Anloga riot against taxes in January 1953, and Fiawoo did not return to politics after losing his Assembly seat in the 1954 elections. In 1952 he resigned as headmaster of New Africa University College. The college changed its name to Zion College and relocated to Keta
Keta
Keta is a city in Volta Region, Ghana. It was an important trading post between the 14th and late 20th century via a port and fort built by the Dutch in 1784. Parts of the city were devastated by sea erosion between the 1960s and 1980s....
; Fiawoo remained chairman of the college's Board of Governors from 1954 until his death in 1969. He was simultaneously, from 1953, Chairman of Keta secondary school Board of Governors. In 1966 he co-founded the Bishop Small Theological College, named after John Bryan Small
John Bryan Small
John Bryan Small was an African-American bishop in the AME Zion Church.Born and educated in Barbados, Small joined the British Army as a clerk and was stationed in the Gold Coast for three years, resigning due to British aggression towards the Asante. In 1871 he travelled to the United States,...
, at Whuti.
Fiawoo married five times: in succession, Frederica Nukamowor Atagba (1917), Grace Kuwor Duse-Anthony (1919), Charity Zormelo
Charity Zormelo
Charity Akoshiwo Tornyewonya Zormelo, subsequently Mrs Fiawoo was the first woman graduate from the Gold Coast, and the first woman from English-speaking West Africa to earn a B. S...
(1942, a teacher at the college, who died in October 1945), Flora Fiwor Gedza (1951) and Faustina Adzoyo Manyo, née Amedume (1963).
Plays
- Toko Atolia, Accra: Achimota Press, 1942. (EweEwe languageEwe is a Niger–Congo language spoken in Ghana, Togo and Benin by approximately six million people. Ewe is part of a cluster of related languages commonly called Gbe, spoken in southeastern Ghana, Togo, and parts of Benin. Other Gbe languages include Fon, Gen, Phla Phera, and Aja...
) - GermanGerman languageGerman is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
translation, trans. D. Westermann & R. Schober, Berlin, 1937 - EnglishEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
translation, trans. the author as The Fifth Landing Stage, London: United Society for Christian Literature, 1943 - Tuniese, unpublished MSS., 1945. (One Act play of eight scenes, destroyed in the 1953 Anloga riots.)
- Newly written version of Tuniese, 1958. (Three Acts and seven scenes, in both Ewe and English)
- Fiayidziehe, 1962 (Ewe; later translated to English)