 Inspired by Kwame Nkrumah, the first Prime Minister of Ghana, the publication sought to explore the experiences of Africa from a new intellectual framework.Writers published in the magazine include its first editor Kofi Awoonor, Efua Sutherland (later also editor), Ayi Kwei Armah and Ama Ata Aidoo.The publication took its name from a traditional Ghanaian figure, the "spokesperson" or "linguist" responsible for channelling communication between a leader and his people; as a symbol of his authority to speak for the chief, the "okyeame" carries a staff, the top of which is carved to represent a proverb or saying.