An alumna of Kumasi Girls’ Senior High School (KGSHS), Abrepo, Miss Genevieve Addai, has won a Silver Medal in the 2025 British Commonwealth Essay Competition, bringing international recognition to the school through her creativity, hard work and storytelling prowess.
Miss Addai, a former Class 3 Science 5 (3 Sci. 5) student of the school, distinguished herself in the international writing competition with her essay titled “Outsmarting the King: Anansi’s Clever Triumph.”
Her achievement is particularly significant given the scale of the 2025 competition, which recorded 53,434 entries, described in the congratulatory material as the largest number of entries in the competition’s history.
According to the information celebrating her achievement, entries came from 54 of the 56 eligible Commonwealth member countries, placing Miss Addai among students from across the Commonwealth who participated in the prestigious writing programme.
The competition awarded certificates at different levels, including Gold, Silver, Bronze and Participation, with Miss Addai securing the Silver Medal for her outstanding essay.
Her winning entry, Outsmarting the King: Anansi’s Clever Triumph, draws on the rich tradition of African folklore, particularly the well-known Anansi stories, to present a creative interpretation of the legendary character.
The competition’s 2025 general topics invited participants to explore national legends and folklore, the relationship between literature and human experience, and the importance of equal access to education across the Commonwealth.
Commendation
Miss Addai’s success has been celebrated by her school, with her English teacher and mentor, Sir Isaac Nyarko Antwi, commending her achievement and encouraging her to continue developing her writing talent.
“Your creativity, hard work and powerful storytelling have earned you international recognition. You have made Kumasi Girls SHS proud! The pen is mightier. The world is your audience. KEEP SOARING!” the congratulatory message stated.
The achievement also highlights the growing potential of young Ghanaian students to compete and excel on international platforms through writing, creativity and intellectual expression.
With her Silver Medal placing her among the outstanding participants in the 2025 competition, Miss Addai has brought recognition not only to herself but also to Kumasi Girls’ Senior High School and Ghana.
Anansi outsmarts a tyrannical king
In her award-winning essay, Miss Addai retells a Ghanaian folktale centred on Kwaku Anansi, the legendary trickster character, and his confrontation with a powerful and tyrannical king.
According to Miss Addai’s retelling, the king was feared throughout his kingdom and had established a reputation for ruthlessly dealing with anyone who dared challenge his authority.
Anansi, however, changed his name to “Mr. Sensible”, claiming that he was the wisest man in the kingdom. His declaration angered the king, who viewed the nickname as an affront to his authority and summoned Anansi to the palace.
The king attempted to expose Anansi as a fraud by ordering him to take a male sheep, make it give birth and then consume its offspring within the same day.
Rather than being intimidated, Anansi turned the king’s challenge against him.
When the king questioned Anansi after he cut down a royal banana tree, Anansi explained that he had done so because “his father has given birth today.” When the king responded that a man could not give birth, Anansi reminded him that he himself had ordered a male sheep to give birth.
The episode left the king looking foolish and further infuriated him.
The king subsequently ordered his four guards to put Anansi in a sack and throw him into the sea.
But even in the face of what appeared to be certain death, Anansi remained determined to save himself.
While waiting to be taken to the sea, he heard a car approaching and began pretending to be unwilling to marry the king’s daughter. A man who heard him believed the opportunity to marry the king’s beautiful daughter was real.
Anansi persuaded the man to release him and take his place in the sack, allowing him to escape in the man’s car.
The king’s guards later returned, unaware that Anansi had escaped, and carried the sack to the sea. They threw it into waters known to be infested with sharks, believing they had finally eliminated their troublesome adversary.
Anansi returns with diamonds and gold
However, according to Miss Addai’s story, Anansi eventually returned to the kingdom months later in a brand-new car, carrying a large sack filled with diamonds, pearls and golden nuggets.
The king was astonished to see that Anansi was still alive and became eager to learn the secret of his newfound wealth.
Anansi told the king that he had discovered a secret place in the ocean where precious metals and jewels could be found. He persuaded the king to accompany him to the location, warning him not to reveal the secret to others.
When they reached the middle of the sea, Anansi convinced the king to enter a sack, claiming that it would protect his royal legs from troublesome fish and crabs while they searched for the treasure.
The king entered the sack, after which Anansi tied it up and pushed him into the sea before paddling back towards the shore.
Upon returning to the palace, Anansi told the king’s elders that the monarch had abdicated his throne and had appointed him as the new king before allegedly taking his own life by jumping into the shark-infested sea.
Anansi subsequently became king and promised the people that he would rule differently from his predecessor by respecting their will and avoiding the abuse of power.
A lesson in perseverance
Reflecting on her story, Miss Addai acknowledges that Anansi’s methods were deceptive and morally questionable, particularly his manipulation of the man who helped him escape from the sack.
She nevertheless credits Anansi with displaying courage, perseverance and determination in the face of adversity.
She writes that despite the seemingly insurmountable challenges presented by the powerful king, Anansi refused to surrender and continued looking for ways to survive.
“Anansi displayed a great deal of perseverance in his bid to survive in the face of impending death; he did not waver in his determination to save his life,” Miss Addai wrote.
She further notes that while she does not endorse Anansi’s “devious and diabolical machinations,” she recognises his courage in confronting adversity and his refusal to give up.
Miss Addai further draws a broader lesson from the folktale, stressing the importance of perseverance in confronting life’s challenges.
“We should never easily succumb to the problems of daily life; we must persevere and continue fighting until the end,” she concludes.
