One of Africa most-celebrated authors and playwrights, Ghanaian Ama Ata Aidoo don die at di age of 81.
She bin write books like The Dilemma of a Ghost, Our Sister Killjoy and Changes.
For statement wey her family release say, “our beloved relative and writer” don die afta short sickness and dem ask for privacy to allow dem to fit mourn.
Dem dey read her work wey include play like Anowa for schools for West Africa alongside works of of ogbonge writers like Wole Soyinka and Chinua Achebe.
Feminist wey dump Ghana Education minister work comot
Madam Aidoo na woman wey tok against wetin she call di “Western perception say di African female na pesin wey dey wretched”.
She bin also serve as education minister for di early 1980s but resign wen she no fit make education to dey free.
Ata Aidoo na University professor wey win many literary awards.
One of di ogbonge award she bin gbab na di 1992 Commonwealth Writers Prize for di book Changes: A Love Story.
Di book tell di love tori of one statistician wey divorce her first husband to follow and marry married man.
For 2014, wen BBC HARDTalk Zeinab Bidawi ask am weda she see herself as writer wit mission, she answer say, “I guess I fit call myself writer wit a mission. But I bin no tink say I get mission wen I start to write.
“Pipo sometimes question me, for example say why your women dey so strong? And I say, dat na di only woman wey I sabi.”
She be major influence on younger generation of writers, wey include Nigeria awarding-winning writer, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
For inside one piece about di Ghanaian for The Africa Report publication for 2011, Adichie write say:
“Na for inside one slim book for my neigbhour dusty book shelf for Nsukka (south eastern-Nigeria) I bin first discover Ama Ata Aidoo work. I shock by di believability of her characters, di sureness of her touch and wetin I go like call di validating presence of complex femaleness.
“Because I no too dey see dis complex femaleness for inside oda African books I don dey read and live, mine na oogbonge discovery of Abowa, sad and humane and many dimensional, for Aidoo’s play wey bin dey set for 1800s for Fantiland; of Sissie, di self-assured, perceptive main character of di ogbonge novel, Our Sister Killjoy, wey use joke tok her experiences for Germany and England for di 1960s; or if di plenti different female characters for No Sweetness Here, wey be my favourite Aidoo’s books.”
Nigerian Afrobeats superstar Burna Boy include her powerful criticism of colonialism and ongoing exploitation of Africa resources for im song Monsters You Made for 2020:
“Since we meet una 500 years ago, Look at us, we don give everitin. Una still dey collect, In exchange of dat, we get nothing. Nothing. And ina know. But una no tink say e don ova now? Ova wia? E dson ova?”
Biography of Ama Ata Aidoo?
Dem born Ama Ata Aidoo for one small village for Ghana central Fanti speaking region for 1942.
Her papa na im open di first school for di villiage and bin get ogbonge influence on am.
At 15 years old, she decide say she go become writer and inside four years, she achieve dat ambition afta dem ginger am to enta competition.
“I win one short story competition but I only know about am wen I open di newspaper wey organise am, and see say dem don publish di tori for dia centre pages and realise di name of di author of tori in print na my name,” Ata Aidoo bin tok one time wen she look back at her career.
“I believe say those moments bin dey important for me, because … I bin don showcase di dream… na major affirmation for me as writer to see my name for print.”
She later go study literature for di University of Ghana and become lecturer, wey publish her first play for 1964.
Afta her 18 month-exposure into politics, she do self-imposed exile go Zimbabwe for a while and become full-time writer.
