Sylvia Arthur

**Sylvia Arthur**, laamba nyɛla  Ghana nima amaa ka bɛ daa lee n doɣi o London, England. O nyɛla sasabira, lahabalitira, *communications consultant*, *literary curator* n ti pahi *cultural activist*. Yuuni 2017 la puuni, o daa nyɛla ŋun n yina n ti kpa *private library* Accra, Ghana, ka di yuli m boli **Library Of Africa and The African Diaspora** (**LOATAD**),  ni di nyɛ luɣ'shɛli polo bɛ yɛn n niŋdi bohimbu, *preservation*, ka lahi n-tiri niriba lahabali zaŋ kpa African mini *Diaspora literature* din daa yɛn n che ka bɛ "puhi di chuɣu ka lahi n gu ka n taɣi Africa kpaŋmaŋa tohibu shɛŋa din deei bi n yi polo na *global literary canon* nima sani." LOATAD lahi nyɛla n niŋdi ʒinahigu n-tiri sasabiriba biɛhigu shee, domin ŋuni Arthur maŋmaŋa gba daa n ka biɛhigu shee ni Hedgebrook din m be Washington State mini Santa Fe Art Institute din m be New Mexico la mini tiŋ'shɛŋa din m pahi pahi puuni.

Arthur sabbunima nyɛla din n jɛndi yɛl'gola din m be *identity*, *diaspora* mini biɛhigu shee puuni. Bukunima mini tuun'shɛŋa o ni n sabi ka n yihina nima n-nyɛ *[[The Guardian]]*, *[[Lithub]]*, BBC, n ti pahi *[[British Journalism Review]]*. Ŋuna n daa n sabi yuuni 2015 buku ŋɔ *Get Hired: Recession-Proof Strategies for Finding a Job Now*. Tum yuuni 2022 puuni ka o daa n-nyɛ *National Geographic Explorer* so ŋun daa n niŋdi o vihigu ka di nyɛ *oral history project* ni o sabi Africa paɣaba ban yuma daa n gbaai yuum'pihiyobu m mali chana biɛhisi bee taarihinima n sɔŋ,

Arthur ka bɛ daa n zaŋ yuuni 2023 *[[Brittle Paper]]* African Literary Person of the Year yuli la n-ti.
## O taarihi
Sylvia Arthur laamba nyɛla Ghananima amaa ka bɛ daa lee n doɣi ŋuna London, England, ka o daa lahi n zooi nimaani. O daa n deela o *Postgraduate Diploma in Journalism* n yina University of Westminster puuni, ka daa n deei *MA in Narrative Nonfiction Writing* mii puuni n yina City University, London. O ni daa n-nyɛ *runner* n tumdi n-tiri Sky News nima n naai, o daa chaŋmi nti n lɛbi *reporter* *News Africa* magazine puuni ka lahi n-nyɛ ŋun m mali *freelanced* n-ti *[[The Guardian]]*, BBC mini *[[British Journalism Review]],* nti m pahi o ni daa m pili *listings outlet* *What's On Ghana* niŋbu yuuni  2005 la puuni zuɣu. O lahi nyɛla ŋun daa n-nyɛ assistant producer n-ti BBC, ITV nti m pahi Sky.

Yuuni 2010 la puuni, o daa n yila London n chaŋ Brussels, Belgium, ni o ti n tum tuma yuma ayi; bɛ ni m boli shɛba ni communications agency nima la n daa n kpuɣi o ka o tumdi ka n-nyɛ *consultant* n-ti European Commission's Directorate General for Employment. Di ni daa ti n-niŋ ka o sabi ni: "di ni daa n-niŋ ka n tahi m maŋa tiŋa shɛli puuni n ni daa n ʒi so, n daa n zaŋla m maŋa n niŋ gbana yulibu puuni, sabbu mini karimbu puuni din kuli yɛn n che ka m bi n ko biɛhigu maa. Bakɔi kam puuni n daa yi n darilabukunima cavernous secondhand bookstore shɛli puuni, amaa ŋanima daa m pala din n-nyɛ *castoffs*, ŋanima daa nyɛla ŋan n gahim n yi di ko; ka nyɛ bɛ ni n lihi shɛli zuɣu viɛyelinga ka di n ka *cracked spines* ka n yina sasabiriba ban m be dunia yaɣa maa puuni. Di daa ŋmanila n zuɣu ka bɛ daa n sabi ŋanima, di ni daa n-niŋ ka bɛ daa n chaŋ ka n che *transient* biɛhigu ŋɔ n naai, n tari kamani niri kam ni n-niŋ *an organ* shɛm la. Ŋanima daa nyɛla ŋan n-ti ma biɛhigu. Din nima n daa n gbubi ma saha shɛli n ni daa m bori ŋun yɛn n tabi ma ka n che gaŋbu shɛli din daa m paai ma maa." Lala bukunima maa pam daa nyɛla gbanpiɛlla sasabiriba ni daa n sabi shɛŋa, di mii yi daa nti n-niŋ ka buku shɛŋa din daa m be o sani maa daa ti n galisi n yaɣi o ni n sɔŋdi li luɣ'shɛli polo tariga, o daa yi m mali li mi n niŋdi container n tahiri Ghana, din nyɛ luɣ'shɛli o ni tooi n chana nti n kaari o daŋ.

## Library Of Africa and The African Diaspora
Saha shɛli o ni daa n ti paɣi n yi zani ni o kahi n labi Ghana na yuuni  2017 la puuni, o daa n zaŋla o bukunima 1,300 shɛli din daa m be o ma yiŋa tum yuuni 2011 la puuni n yoogi di daa n-nyɛ Libreria Ghana la. Di yi daa n-niŋ ka a *subscribe*, din ŋuna a nyɛla ŋun ni tooi n karim ka m paŋ bukunima lala *library* maa puuni. Libreria Ghana m pa n lɛbi Library Of Africa and The African Diaspora (LOATAD), kamani bɛ ni daa n yɛli shɛm silimin goli May biɛɣu pishi dali, yuuni 2020 puuni: "Ti gbaami ni ti n taɣi to yuli ka di nyɛ din wuhiri ti ni n-nyɛ shɛba,  ti ni n niŋdi binshɛli, ni ti ni n ʒiya n-ti shɛli. Ti nyɛla library shɛba ban n deei bɛ maŋa sulinsi ka ti zaɣa nyɛ din m be buku'shɛŋa ŋan sasabiriba nyɛ ban n yi Africa mini *African Diaspora* puuni na. Ti nyɛla ban m mali Africa tinsi mini din tiŋ'kɔɣa maa zaa bukunima."

Tum yuuni 2022 la puuni, LOATAD daa n-ti la soli ka bɛ niŋ *residency programme* di puuni ka daa lahi n che ka West Africa tingbana puuni sasabiriba mali nɛn'shɛŋa din daa m be lala library *maa* puuni n kuri bɛ bukaata nima ka naain lahi n tumdi ni *longform writing project* niŋ. O maŋmaŋa daa nyɛla ŋun n di anfaani lala *residences* maa puuni ka di shɛŋa n-nyɛ Hedgebrook din m be Washington State mini Santa Fe Art Institute din m be New Mexico, Arthur kpahimya ni: "A yi n che Africa sasabiriba n-niŋ luɣ'shɛli polo bɛ *literary forebears* tuma ni m be, a nyɛla ŋun n taɣi bɛ tɛha ni binyɛra ni m be shɛm. A lihi gbansabila sabbu *breadth* mini *depth* ni tiŋ'shɛŋa ti ni n wuhiri sasabiriba mini sasabiriba shɛba ban m mali zaashehi viɛyelinga a ni n nya ka bɛ nyɛla daŋ."
## Paɣabunima mini pin'gahinda shɛŋa o ni n nya
*Speaking engagements* shɛŋa Arthur ni n tum nyɛla dibaa ayi TEDx Talks, din na yoli n-niŋ yuuni 2022 Ashesi University puuni la. O daa nyɛla bɛ ni daa m pii so Africa No Filter "*Narrative Champion*" ka daa lahi n-nyɛ ŋun daa n deei "*Cultures of Resistance Award*" la.

Arthur nyɛla yuuni 2022 *National Geographic Explorer*, din n-nyɛ National Geographic Society nima ni daa n zaŋ *grant* n tabi n sɔŋ shɛli n-ti o vihigu shɛli o ni n-niŋdi n jɛndi "A Women's Oral History of West Africa, bɛ ni n niŋdi shɛli ni bɛ n sabi West Africa paɣaba ban yuma n yaɣi yuun'pihiyobu lahabaya n sɔŋ n nam "*an expansive oral archive*".

Yuuni 2023 la puuni, o daa nyɛla bɛ ni daa m puhi ka m paɣi so "ni kpaŋmaŋa shɛli o ni daa n niŋ ka n kpa lala Library of Africa and The African Diaspora (LOATAD)" maa ka daa m boli o *[[Brittle Paper]]* African Literary Person of the Year (ban pun n di lala yuli ŋɔ shɛba n-nyɛ Ellah Wakatama, Kwame Dawes nti m pahi Lola Shoneyin). Nii Ayikwei Parkes ni daa yɛn n zaŋ shɛli n tabi n sɔŋ lala pin'gahindili ŋɔ, o daa n yɛlimi ni: " Sylvia ni n nya shɛli yuma ayobu puuni ŋɔ...nyɛla din gahim n du zuɣusaa. Ban n karimda bukunima ka bɛ kalinli m paai *thousands* la ni daa tooi n nya ka n karim Africa mini din tiŋ'kuɣa puuni sasabiriba bukunima ŋɔ nyaaŋa, bɛ ni m boli shɛba ni *creatives* la ban kalinli daa n yaɣi bin pihinu daa nyɛla ban n di anfaani library maa puuni n lɛbi *fellows* mini *residents*,  m namdi ka m malindi tum'shɛŋa din na ʒin pun m beni ka bɛ poha tom lahi n yoori taba ka di nyɛ n yihi ban maŋmaŋa *cultural treasures* polo."

## Kundivihira
 
## External links
* Sylvia Arthur website
* "Sylvia Arthur on her Personal Collection of rare African books", Spotlite by Literandra, 24 May 2020.
* LOATAD.org
* "Sylvia Arthur" at Ford Foundation.
* Nana Brantuo, https://amaka.studio/u/@brantuonana_am@amaka.studio/were-all-connected-through-literature-a-conversation-with-sylvia-arthur-the-founder-of-the-library-of-africa-and-the-african-diaspora-Vb82aPUDZqtzdm4ESBexj, *Amaka*, 12 April 2023.