Padmore Enyonam Agbemabiese

Agbemabiese was born in 1952 at Abor in the Volta Region of Ghana. He did not attend high school. At Primary 5, he passed the Common Entrance Examination and left for a secondary school at Sogakofe in September 1965. In December that same year, tragedy struck his family, his father suffered a massive stroke, and young Padmore Agbemabiese had to return home to take care of his sick father. After being with his father for almost four years, his father asked him to return to school to continue his college education. Sadly enough just when he was settling down to start school, tragedy struck again. About three months into the school year, on December 14, 1969, his father died leaving Agbemabiese and his siblings orphans with no one to look up to. At that tender age of 17, with no one to turn to for food, clothing or advice, he took the destiny of his future into his own hands. For three years he worked on odd jobs e.g. farming, raising poultry, and goats to save money to go back to college again. He survived on the gratuity and kindness of friends. After two years he enrolled in Abor Secondary School, a community infant school, for his O-Levels. He worked so hard that in 1974 he scored Division One at the GCE "O" Level becoming the first student of Aborsco to score such an excellent grade since the inception of the school. Looking at his background, with no one to care for him, he decided to go to Peki Government Teacher Training College to become a teacher. Unfortunately, the then Vice Principal of the College, Mr. Tawiah, looking at his excellent grades at the "O" Level, talked him out of it and helped him go to Kpandu Secondary School for his A-Levels. Just like Aborsco, young Padmore Agbemabiese continued writing poems and plays, and visiting schools and colleges with his troupe to raise money for his needs. With no one to support his efforts, his grandmother, Madam Afeafa Fiador-Agbemabiese, a traditional dirge singer, took him in and ensured that he acquired literacy in the traditions and customs of the Ewes alongside his formal school education. Wonderfully, he passed the GCE Advanced Level exams with ease.

In short, Agbemabiese received four undergraduate degrees from the University of Ghana, Legon. He graduated at the top of his class in English, drama, theater arts, journalism and public relations, all from the University of Ghana, Legon. Years later he was admitted to The Ohio State University (US), where he received his master's degree in African American and African studies. At The Ohio State University, Padmore Agbemabiese was an extraordinary student. He completed his combined master's degree in one year. By such a hard work he received the Gwen Kagey Award for High Academic Achievement. Based on this performance he was offered another scholarship to do his Ph.D. in English. Within three years he completed his Ph.D. in English and went on to do two other doctorate degrees in education and African American and African studies. It is remarkable to state here that when Padmore Agbemabiese arrived at The Ohio State University to do his master's degree, he was offered a lectureship. Thus, while pursuing his graduate studies he was also a lecturer in English and African literature. Students remember and talk of his class fondly.

After graduating from the University of Ghana, he worked at various jobs. He taught as a teacher at Sogakope L. A. Middle School, Zion Secondary School at Anloga and Awudome Secondary School at Tsito-Awudome in the Volta Region of Ghana. Later, he became a journalist with the Ghanaian Times Corporation, serving as a beatman at Sogakope, Keta, Denu, Abor and Aflao area. He was the first journalist to open the southern Volta Region to news reporting. He won many admiration for his articles and reportage. He was also a news-reporter for Ghana Radio and TV. He was a regular contributor-poet for the GBC 2 radio program Voices of Our Times, hosted by Gerthrude Opare-Addo for more than ten years. However, he was best known for his Ewe poems on Ewe Hakpanyawo a GBC Radio One program hosted by Komivi Adatsi on Saturdays and repeated on Wednesday evenings. In 1985, Agbemabiese assisted a Task Force that initiated the Ghana Tourism '86. Later, he was commissioned by the National Commission on Culture to open cultural centers at Anlo, Tongu and Keta districts. His hard work brought cultural programmes and offices to Sogakope, Keta, Akatsi and Denu districts. He helped organize the Pan African Historical Festival (PANAFEST) and worked there for a while. He was part of the organizers of Ghana Inter-Tourism 1986. He assisted in 1986 to refine the Anlo Hogbetsotso Festival.

Over the years, the knowledge he acquired through his experience with his grandmother helped him to become a renowned bilingual poet. He has written and published in both English and Ewe. Some of his poems have been translated into Swahili and Hindu. His Ewe titles include Senyee Wom Alea (1996) and Migblem Di Kpo (1996), while his English titles include "Letter to the Judge" (2013), "Can You Give Me Your Heart" (2012), Prophecy (1999), With Guns and Roses (1999), Voyages (2003) and The Smell of Exile. He has also published critical essays, short stories and poems in various newspapers and journals including Essence Magazine, Come Into Our Whirl, African Weekender and Taj Mahal Review (India). He also has two novels, "Go Ask Grandma" (2002), and "Why Can't Anybody Hear Me When I Cry?" (2004).

Agbemabiese is the co-founder of the College of Education International Club, and its vice president. He is also a member of the National Council of Teachers of English, USA and a member of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (Ghana).

He is currently a full professor of English and literature at a university in the US. He has published numerous books of poetry, prose and articles on education in developing countries of the world.

• 2007 Nnamdi Azikiwe Award for Journalism and Scholarship, USA
• 2007 Julius Nyerere Distinguished Humanitarian & Community Development Award, USA
• 2005 Ohio State University, College of Education—2005 Distinguished Diversity Enhancement Award for Teaching and Scholarship
• 2003 Howard Francis Seely Memorial Scholarship Award: For Best OSU
• 2002 Golden Pen Award: First Runner-Up: Best Black Poet of the Year 2002
• Black Writers Association Conference 2002, Atlanta, GA, USA
• 1998 Gwen Kagey Award for High Academic Achievement: High Academic Achievement, OSU

Currently, Agbemabiese is involved in a series of research projects, paramount among which is "The Study of Anlo-Ewe Proverbs and Appellations as Principles of Argumentative and Persuasive Discourse". This project embodies an interpretive and theatrical study of aspects of literary traditions created and nurtured by the Ewes of Ghana. The study involves investigation of their mode of existence, their distinctive styles of presentation and their significance as crucial elements of contemporary discourse related to socio-economic and political transformation of the Ewes and Africans at large

• http://padmorewrites.blogspot.com/
• Padmore Enyonam Agbemabiese page at Poem Hunter.
• https://web.archive.org/web/20070705061250/http://aaas.osu.edu/people/person.cfm?ID=1531
• http://www.zipedu.com/Grandma.html