President Paul Kagame is in Accra, Ghana where he is today expected to give a keynote speech at the launch of the book, Crucible of the Ages: Essays in honour of Wole Soyinka at 80, the President’s Office said last evening.

The launch is part of a series of Global Literary festivities to mark the eightieth birthday of Africa's first Nobel Laureate in Literature, which started in May 2014 at the University of Oxford in Britain, the office said in a statement.

The book, edited by Ivor Agyeman-Duah and Ogochukwu Promise, and which comes in African and European editions, will subsequently be launched in London by the Pro-Director of the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), Prof. Paul Kelly.

The celebrations will end in Indianapolis, United States in November where there will be a panel discussion at the African Studies Association conference.

Today’s event in Accra will also be attended by the President of Ghana, John Mahama, while former Commonwealth Secretary-General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, is expected to chair proceedings.

There will also be 30 other events to mark the launch, including conferences and reflections, across the world. 

Wole Soyinka, a renowned Nigerian poet and playwright, was in Rwanda in 2012 for the country’s 50th Independence anniversary during which he described Rwanda as the "phoenix that rose from the ashes against all odds" as well as the "syntax and very language of renaissance."

Meanwhile, during his one-day visit to Ghana, President Kagame is expected to hold talks with his host, President Mahama.