rew ▁participated ▁in ▁college ▁literary ▁activities ▁and ▁experiment ed ▁with ▁pro se , ▁poetry , ▁and ▁drama . ▁After ▁gradu ation ▁he ▁won ▁a ▁British ▁Council ▁poetry ▁competition ▁in ▁Acc ra , ▁and ▁his ▁po ems ▁appeared ▁in ▁the ▁Gh ana ian ▁literary ▁journal ▁O ky e ame , ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁several ▁important ▁African ▁anth ologies . ▁Sh adows ▁of ▁L augh ter ▁( 1 9 6 8 ), ▁a ▁collection ▁of ▁his ▁best ▁early ▁po ems , ▁reve als ▁a ▁them atic ▁interest ▁unusual ▁for ▁an ▁African ▁poet : ▁the ▁value ▁of ▁the ▁individual ▁compared ▁with ▁that ▁of ▁society ▁as ▁a ▁whole . ▁In ▁po ems ▁such ▁as ▁" The ▁Exec ution er ' s ▁Dream ", ▁which ▁views ▁with ▁something ▁like ▁horror ▁some ▁of ▁the ▁rit uals ▁of ▁traditional ▁African ▁life , ▁he ▁suggests ▁that ▁society , ▁in ▁an ▁attempt ▁to ▁pur ge ▁itself ▁of ▁the ▁ill s ▁of ▁life , ▁ro bs ▁the ▁individual ▁of ▁dign ity . ▁African ▁Pan or ama ▁and ▁Other ▁Po ems ▁( 1 9 8 1 ) ▁draw s ▁upon ▁the ▁s ights ▁and ▁sounds ▁of ▁rural ▁and ▁urban ▁Africa . ▁In ▁his ▁collection ▁Return ▁of ▁No ▁Return ▁( 1 9 9 5 ), ▁he ▁pays ▁t ribute ▁to ▁the ▁American ▁writer ▁May a ▁Angel ou ▁and ▁to ▁Gh ana ians ▁who ▁may ▁have ▁helped ▁res hape ▁his ▁Euro cent ric ▁views ▁into ▁Af ro cent ric ▁ones . ▁ ▁B rew ▁was ▁published ▁in ▁O ky e ame , ▁and ▁four ▁of ▁his