Gladys May Casely-Hayford - Early Life, Work And Death
Hello AfricanLab Attendants,
Today, we are going to make a brief "experiment" on one of African Greatest Poets of all time which their golden memories are still scribed on the heart of Africa Literature and anthologies.
We shall begin with Gladys May Casely-Hayford, a woman of virtue, high intelligence and a woman who had wrote alot of poems to fashioned out the love and beauty of Africa.
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Now, let begin the Experiment on Gladys May Casely Hayford
• Early life and career of Gladys May CaselyHayford
Gladys Casely-Hayford, who sometimes wrote under the "Pen Name" Aquah Laluah was born on 11 May 1904 at Axim, in Ghana (then the Gold Coast).
She was the daughter of the famous Ghanaian lawyer and author, Joseph Ephraim Casely-Hayford and Adelaide Casely-Hayford.
At the age of 15, she went to complete her education in England and Wales. She returned to West Africa after 5 years to live and teach with her mother in the Girls Vocational School in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
According to Wikipedia, Gladys May Hay-ford as a child, did not like textbooks or arithmetic but was a voracious reader, devouring Charles Kingsley's Heroes from cover to cover at the age of seven.
She could sing, dance, and write poetry at an early age. Due to her upbringing she could speak fluent English, Creole, and Fante (the language of her father).
She had her primary and secondary school education in Ghana and went to Penrhos College, Colwyn Bay, in Wales, after turning down two other competitive colleges that wanted her for her talented writing. Gladys stopped her
education there and travelled with a Berlin jazz band as a dancer. She stayed with them for a long time, but started having breakdowns and had to go home.
Her life in Freetown is reflected in her poems, particularly in the poems which she wrote in Krio, a language which is derived from English and Spoken in Freetown.
Her early poems were published in the American Journal The Atlantic Monthly, and in 1948, six of her poems were published in a little volume, Take 'Um So, which took its title from one of the Krio poems.
Later life and work: Gladys May Casely-Hayford
Acquah Laluah later got married. At the school she was working as a teacher, she taught African Folklore and Literature. She lectured extensively by dwelling on her pet messages that native Africans are not slaves to any other races in the world.
She was so aplombed in declaring this because she has been privileged to live among the Caucasians. Those messages
of racial equality found their way into her poetry writings. She had very deep African roots in her poetry and anthologists of the Harlem renaissance loved her work.
Many of her poems emphasis women's freedom and pride and others reflected her life. She created many inspiring and great writings; Her first
poems were published in the Atlantic Monthly and The Philadelphia Tribune.
Her poetry such as "Nativity" (1927), "The Serving Girl" (1941) and "Creation" (1926) has been widely anthologized.
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Death: Gladys May Casely-Hayford
Well, after alot of work and anticipating declaration of her love for Africa, Gladys May Casely-Hayford died in 1950 due to black-water Fever.
•SUMMARY:
- • Gladys May Casely-Hayford was born on 11th of May, 1904 at Axim, Ghana
• She was as regarded by her pen-name, "Aquah Laluah.
• Joseph Ephraim Casely-Hayford and Adelaide Casely-Hayford was her parent.
• At age 15, she went to complete her education in England and Wales.
• She returned to West Africa after 5 years to live and teach with her mother in the Girls Vocational School in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
• Her first poems were published in the American Journal called "the Atlantic Monthly" in 1948.
• She finally died in 1950 due to black-water fever.