Ama Ata Aidoo (23 March 1942 – 31 May 2023) was a Ghanaian author, poet, playwright and academic, who was widely regarded as one of the most influential African writers of the 20th and 21st centuries.
She was the first published African woman dramatist and the winner of the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for her novel Changes (1991).
She was also a former Minister of Education in Ghana and the founder of the Mbaasem Foundation, which supports and promotes African women writers.
She was the first published African woman dramatist and the winner of the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for her novel Changes (1991).
She was also a former Minister of Education in Ghana and the founder of the Mbaasem Foundation, which supports and promotes African women writers.
Aidoo was born in Abeadzi Kyiakor, near Saltpond, in the Central Region of Ghana.
She came from a Fante royal family and was the daughter of Nana Yaw Fama, chief of Abeadzi Kyiakor, and Maame Abasema. She had a twin brother, Kwame Ata.
She grew up during a time of resurgent British neocolonialism and witnessed the murder of her grandfather by neocolonialists.
Her father was an advocate of education and opened the first school in their village. Aidoo attended Wesley Girls’ High School in Cape Coast, where she developed her interest in writing.
She enrolled at the University of Ghana, Legon, where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in English in 1964. She also wrote her first play, The Dilemma of a Ghost, which was published by Longman in 1965.
The play explores the cultural clash between a Ghanaian student who returns home with his African American wife. It was followed by another play, Anowa (1970), which deals with the issues of slavery and patriarchy in pre-colonial Ghana.
After graduating, Aidoo held a fellowship in creative writing at Stanford University in California, before returning to Ghana in 1969 to teach English at the University of Ghana.
She later became a lecturer and then a professor at the University of Cape Coast. She also served as a research fellow at the Institute of African Studies at Legon.
Aidoo published her first novel, Our Sister Killjoy; or, Reflections from a Black-Eyed Squint, in 1977. The novel is a semi-autobiographical account of a young Ghanaian woman’s experiences in Europe and her critique of colonialism and racism.
It was followed by No Sweetness Here (1970), a collection of short stories that depict the lives of ordinary Ghanaians under neocolonialism.
In 1982, Aidoo was appointed as the Minister of Education under the Provisional National Defence Council led by Jerry Rawlings.
She was responsible for improving the quality and accessibility of education in Ghana, especially for girls and women. She also advocated for democracy, human rights, and social justice in Ghana and Africa.
Aidoo resigned from her ministerial position in 1983 and moved to Zimbabwe, where she lived and taught for several years.
She also travelled extensively to other countries such as the United States, Germany, Kenya, and South Africa.
She continued to write and publish various works, including poetry collections such as Someone Talking to Sometime (1985), Birds and Other Poems (1987), and An Angry Letter in January and Other Poems (1992).
Aidoo’s second novel, Changes: A Love Story (1991), won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best Book (Africa) in 1992.
The novel portrays the challenges and choices faced by modern African women in their personal and professional lives.
It was followed by The Girl Who Can and Other Stories (1997), a collection of stories that explore various aspects of African womanhood.
In 2000, Aidoo established the Mbaasem Foundation, a non-governmental organization that supports and promotes the work of African women writers.
The foundation provides grants, training, mentoring, networking, and publishing opportunities for emerging and established writers.
The foundation also organizes events such as workshops, seminars, festivals, and book fairs that showcase the diversity and excellence of African women’s literature.
Aidoo died on 31 May 2023 at the age of 81. She was survived by her daughter Kinna Likimani and her grandson Nii Ayikwei Parkes.
She was mourned by many people around the world who admired her work and her contribution to African literature and culture.
Aidoo was a trailblazer who paved the way for other African women writers to follow. She was a pioneer who contributed to the development of African literature and culture. She was a legend who left an indelible mark on the world.
Source: The Independent Ghana