Info For Yous Ama Ata Aidoo: I Of The Africa`S Oldest Best Author, Feminist, Academician, An Internationally Recognized Literary Giant In Addition To Intellectual Ghanaian Figure
"As Always.... a Painful Declaration
of Independence
I have got been happy
being me:
an African
a woman
and a writer.
Just have got your racism
your sexism
your pragmatism
off me;
overt
covert or
internalized
And
damned you!"
"An Angry Letter inwards January" Ama Ata Aidoo.
Professor Ama Ata Aidoo, née Christina Ama Aidoo is an internationally recognized literary
together with intellectual Ghanaian figure of ethnic Fante extraction. She is every bit an accomplished author, poet, playwright, academic, feminist, together with beacon to writers earth over. Aidoo is also a erstwhile Minister of Education inwards the Republic of Ghana government. Her novel 'Changes: a Love Story" won the coveted Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best Book (Africa) inwards 1992. She is also an accomplished poet - her collection Someone Talking to Sometime won the Nelson Mandela Prize for Poetry inwards 1987 - together with has written several children's books.Aidoo is the editor of the anthology African Love Stories.
On Wednesday, September 17th 2014 at the British Council inwards Accra, Ghana, the much awaited documentary on Prof Aidoo entitled "The Art of Ama Ata Aidoo" position together past times Yaba Badoe together with Amina Mama, was finally premiered. The Art of Ama Ata Aidoo explores the artistic contribution of i of the Africa’s firstly adult woman writers, a trailblazer for an entire generation of exciting novel talent. The cinema charts Ama Ata Aidoo’s creative journeying inwards a life that spans seven decades from colonial Republic of Ghana through the tumultuous era of independence to a to a greater extent than sober acquaint 24-hour interval Africa where nurturing women’s creative talent remains every bit difficult every bit ever.
Aidoo is an outspoken adult woman who, inwards the tradition of about of her predecessors such every bit Flora Nwapa (Nigeria) together with Efua T Sutherland (Ghana) both resists together with subverts traditional literary boundaries. Femi-Ojo (1982) pejoratively labelled her every bit belonging to the “old guard” of African women writers who are less ideologically aggressive, but Aidoo is nevertheless respected past times well-established writers such every bit Buchi Emecheta -who thinks of herself every bit Aidoo’s novel sister-or past times the still-relatively unknown Ghanaian author Ama Darko-who pays respects to Aidoo every bit her literary mother.
María Frías inwards her 1998 interview alongside Prof Aidoo entitled "An Interview alongside Ama Ata Aidoo: “I Learnt my First Feminist Lessons inwards Africa,” described her every bit "a medium-sized, strongly built, round-faced adult woman who wears Ghanaian dresses, together with rich, colorful, together with beautiful headwraps tied to her dignified head." Frias farther averred that Prof Aidoo`s celebration of the African story-telling tradition, her critical sentiment of the Western world, her rebellion against “the colonization of the African minds”, together with her preoccupation alongside the hereafter of her province together with her Ghanaian people-women inwards particular-makes a conversation alongside Ama Ata Aidoo a learning experience. Her vocalism e'er sounds fresh, critical, outrageous together with total of life.
She has consistently together with fascinatingly explored her guild through many plays, novels, brusque stories together with poems. Aidoo is the author of plays The Dilemma of a Ghost (1965), together with Anowa (1970); brusque stories No Sweetness Here (1979), together with The Girl Who Can together with Other Stories (1999); novels Our Sister Killjoy or Reflections from a Black-Eyed Squint (1977), together with Changes (1991); collections of poems Someone Talking to Sometime (1985), together with An Angry Letter inwards Jan together with Other Poems; children’s books The Eagle together with Chickens together with Other Stories (1986), together with Birds together with Other Poems (1987).
Her fictional plant are explicitly critical of the colonial history of Ghana, together with of what she refers to every bit the “dance of masquerades called independence”. Anowa (1970), No Sweetness Here (1970), Our Sister Killjoy (1977) pull together with criticize oppression together with inequality, target colonialism together with implicitly deny the term “postcolonial”. Aidoo is also known every bit an of import feminist writer. Her
plant characteristic rigid woman individual protagonists who are faced alongside institutionalized together with personal sexist attitudes on a daily basis. In her non-fictional writings, Aidoo also explicitly fights against the axis of oppressive social constructions of gender together with their consequences for women. She blames colonialism for importing “a fully developed sexist system, which has been adapted, maintained together with exacerbated every bit it has been integrated into dissimilar aspects of African culture” (Marangoly, Scott
1993: 299). As alongside other African women writers, to utilization Busia’s words (1989-90: 90), Aidoo challenges, deconstructs, together with subverts the traditional “voicelessness of the dark women trope”.
One how she became a successful writer, Amat Ata Aidoo wrote inwards “To Be a Woman” (1985: 259), alongside a quote from her uneducated aunt: “My child, acquire every bit far every bit you lot tin into this education. Go until you lot yourself are tired. As for marriage, it is something a adult woman picks upward along the way”.
Through her brusque story writing prowess every bit exhibited inwards “No Sweetness Here”, Ama Ata Aidoo caught the attending of the celebrated literary giants Langston Hughes, Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka together with others together with was invited to the African Writers Workshop at the University of Ibadan inwards 1962 when she was solely 22 years old. At these Workshop Ama Ata Aidoo did non solely interacted alongside African literary giants together with received exposure but she also met a really immature ‘Molara Ogundipe Leslie who also a educatee together with a player at the workshop.
Nigerian author Chinua Achebe together with Ghanian author Ama Ata Aidoo
Ama Ata Aidoo perceives herself every bit a teacher, get-go together with foremost, together with similar to learn her students nearly other African women writers. "I have got been teaching Mariama Bâ (So Long a Letter), Bessie Head (A Question of Power), Buchi Emecheta (Joys of Motherhood) -which is a must-and, although she is non past times nationality an African, I’ve e'er taught Marise Condé (Segú). In drama, I wouldn’t fifty-fifty displace i inch without teaching Efua Sutherland, especially 'The Marriage of Anansewa." I e'er learn Nawal El Saadawi together with at that spot are a whole lot of other women (Frias 1998: 18-19).
Though venerated inwards Europe together with the USA every bit the firstly African feminist-a fact that she somewhat resents together with long immersed inwards gender issues-both at a personal, political, together with literary level- Aidoo silent questions artificial critical constructions. Her women, though, next the principles of the Akan guild she comes from, are strong, hard-working, independent, articulate, together with smart, thus, deconstructing the stereotypical epitome of the submissive, passive, together with battered African woman. Aidoo herself takes pains to explicate the reasons for portraying these provocative woman individual protagonists: People say to me: “Your women characters seem to last stronger than nosotros are used to when thinking nearly African women”. As far every bit I am concerned these are the African women amid whom I was brought up. In damage of women standing on their ain feet, within or exterior marriage, generally from within marriage, living life on their ain terms. (Wilson-Tagoe, 200: 248).
Ama Ata Aidoo made her glorious debut into this house of life inwards 23 March 1940 at Saltpond inwards the Central Region of Ghana. She grew upward inwards a Nkusukum (sub-ethnic Fante group) majestic household every bit the dearest missy of Nana Yaw Fama, principal of Abeadzi Kyiakor, together with Maame Abasema. Her Fante (Akan) ethnic grouping are matriarchal people together with openly favors women to the extent that the woman parent of iv sons silent considers herself “infertile” because she could non have got whatsoever daughters, together with where women are supposed to have got the say-so but non the powerfulness to rule-Aidoo’s (for some) progressive portrayal of African women is precisely a reflection of what she saw: “I got this incredible
birds-eye sentiment of what happens inwards that guild together with I definitely knew that beingness a adult woman is enormously of import inwards Akan society” (Wilson-Tagoe, 2002: 48).
In tandem alongside Fantes favoritism for women, women didactics is non joked alongside with at all every bit Dr James Emman Kwegyir Aggrey, the famous African educator together with an unadulterated Fante ssummed it up: "If you lot educate a man, you lot educate i individual but if you lot educate a woman, you lot educate a whole nation.” even alongside this quote the master copy states “. . ., if you lot educate a woman, you lot educate a family”).
In delineate alongside the Fante tradition, immature Nkusukum princess Ama Ata Aidoo had her basic didactics at Saltpond together with afterwards, was sent past times her manful individual parent to Wesley Girls' High School inwards Cape Coast from 1961 to 1964. The headmistress of Wesley Girls' bought her her get-go typewriter. After leaving high school, she enrolled at the University of Republic of Ghana inwards Legon together with received her Bachelor of Arts inwards English linguistic communication every bit good every bit writing her get-go play, The Dilemma of a Ghost, inwards 1964. The play was published past times Longman the next year, making Aidoo the get-go published African adult woman dramatist.
She worked inwards the the States of America where she held a companionship inwards creative writing at Stanford University. She also served every bit a enquiry boyfriend at the Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, together with every bit a Lecturer inwards English linguistic communication at the University of Cape Coast, eventually rising at that spot to the seat of Professor.
Aside from her literary career, Aidoo was appointed Minister of Education nether the Provisional National Defence Council inwards 1982. She resigned after eighteen months. She has also spent a corking bargain of fourth dimension teaching together with living abroad for months at a time. She has lived inwards America, Britain, Germany, together with Zimbabwe. Aidoo taught diverse English linguistic communication courses at Hamilton College inwards Clinton, NY inwards the early on to mid-1990s. She is currently a Visiting Professor inwards the Africana Studies Department at Brown University.
Ama Ata Aidoo sitting downwardly alongside her colleague Kenyan author Ngugi Wa Thiong’o, the famous author of Weep Not Child novel. Courtesy Nana Kofi Acquah.
Aidoo's plant of fiction peculiarly bargain alongside the tension betwixt Western together with African world views. Her get-go novel," Our Sister Killjoy", was published inwards 1977 together with remains i of her most pop works. In "Our Sister Killjoy", Aidoo is concerned generally alongside the estrangement of the African educated class. Sissy, the main character, is offered a grant to have a European
education. Her journeying into the westward chronicles dissimilar aspects of her resistance to the overriding ideological hostilities that convey downwardly Africa together with African people.The novel is divided into iv parts. “Into a Bad Dream” relates Sissie’s move sense to Germany. She is secure inwards her racial background, together with solely progressively over the itineraries of her ‘westbound mobility’ does she
go witting of her color complexion. In “The Plums,” Sissie discovers Marija, a novel High German friend. Marija is entangled inwards boredom together with straightaway gets caught within the exotic Other ‘the black-eyed squint’ educatee stands for. In the class of their friendship, Sissie finds out Marija’s perverted behaviors, rejects her lesbianism together with leaves her inwards frustration together with total disillusionment. In “From Our Sister Killjoy,” Sissie moves to London, the colonial working capital missive of the alphabet which brings dorsum into her
heed the whole tale nearly the British colonial sense inwards Ghana. She appears to last extremely disappointed at the tragic social reality together with marginalization of dark African immigrants. In the epistolary department on a “Love Letter”, Sissie is engaged inwards a mock-conversation alongside a lover, using an extremely sarcastic trend to assert her identity through the experiences she went through.
Raised in, respectful towards, together with proud of her African oral tradition together with the ancient story-telling, Aidoo’s forte is inwards her dialogues. Aidoo invests her woman individual characters alongside the powerful tool of speech. Her African women brand utilization of words every bit weapons to the extent that they tin easily together with intelligently fustigate men’s egos together with trounce them dialectically /metaphorically, at the same fourth dimension gaining the honour of the other sisters inwards the community.
H5N1 adieu hug
Students together with faculty colleagues bid adieu to Ghanaian playwright Ama Ata Aidoo. Credit: Mike Cohea/Brown University
Furthermore, inwards Allan’s words (1994: 188-89), Aidoo’s instinctive together with innovative utilization of similes together with proverbs is an effective rhetorical tool which shows women’s verbal dexterity at the same fourth dimension every bit it highlights collective wisdom: Africanisms, novel words coined from the alchemic blending of English linguistic communication together with the African cultural scene, enrich Aidoo’s linguistic repertoire. Such damage every bit “flabberwhelmed”, “negatively eventful”, together with “away matches” violate criterion English linguistic communication inwards monastic tell to limited a socio-linguistic identity that is uniquely African.
Aidoo has travelled widely, is non blind to the trauma together with hurting of the African diaspora, together with has personally experienced the e'er confl ictive run into betwixt African together with Western cultures. Maybe this is the ground why about of her woman individual protagonists also undergo a physical together with emotional journeying that is painful together with traumatic, though e'er instructive together with regenerative. Aidoo deals alongside the impact of colonialism, postcolonialism, together with neo-colonialism on the bodies together with psyches of her African women characters but, opposite to the “nervous condition” of Dangarembga’s woman individual protagonist, Aidoo’s women are much to a greater extent than inwards command of their bodies together with minds together with they tin e'er come upward dorsum home-though psychologically injured, physically exhausted, emotionally disillusioned, together with culturally alienated-start a novel life, or select a liberating but tragic ending. Though confronted alongside together with struggling against social norms together with cultural disintegration every bit good every bit alongside the traumatic dichotomy of African tradition versus Western modernity, Aidoo’s women-albeit shaken-retain their sanity together with are able to articulate their anger. Madness-a recurrent
theme inwards post-colonial African fiction Femi-Ojo (1979), Adepitan (1993/94)-does non hitting /affect Aidoo’s heroines. Only inwards the representative of Anowa did Aidoo contemplate the possibility of her protagonist ending upward insane, but she idea it likewise cruel, together with handed Anowa the privilege of choosing her ain death. Aidoo’s women are peripatetic beings who cross boundaries-geographical, social, cultural, together with emotional-who dare to pace over patriarchal borderlines, who violate traditional discourses on the cult of union together with motherhood, at the same fourth dimension every bit they dramatize their vulnerability together with their subjugation to African tradition. As Allan (1994: 178) argues, past times portraying African women’s tensions, frustrations, together with contradictions, Aidoo’s plant refl ect on the dual theme of “social stasis”-tradition-versus “change”-modernity.
source:http://publicaciones.ua.es/filespubli/pdf/02144808RD16064646.pdf
"THE ART OF AMA ATA AIDOO" : A DOCUMENTARY past times Yaba Badoe together with Amina Mama
The fine art of Ama Ata Aidoo is a really thrilling exploration of the vast universe that is Ama Ata Aidoo’s heed together with it’s phenomenal aspect inwards her literary plant which have got so shaken upward the really foundations of literature inwards Republic of Ghana together with Africa.
Traversing her life from the inception of her fine art to its explosion, the documentary gives quite a brilliant insight into the cultural, societal, together with familial influences that, inwards many ways, were the inception of the corking literary heed that was Ama Ata Aidoo’s.
Yaba Badoe (right) together with Ama Ata Aidoo inwards conversation at the AWDF African Women inwards Film Forum
In the documentary, Ama Ata Aidoo remembers stories her woman parent used to tell her inwards the early on mornings inwards the hamlet (not the usual nighttime storytelling style), of a preacher-man/ evangelist who came past times the hamlet when she was young, of her majestic nativity together with subsequent disregard for the establishment of royalty.
In the nostalgia of black-and-white, sepia-tinted pictures, she also shares the fairly pivotal influence of a instructor inwards Wesley Girls High schoolhouse who gave a immature Ama Ata Aidoo her get-go typewriter after she expressed the ‘crazy’ wishing to last a writer.
Her fourth dimension inwards Takoradi was about other pivotal 2d inwards Ama’s life where she participated inwards a Christmas story contest running inwards the Daily Graphic at the time.
Her story was published, which turned out to last a milestone for her, beingness the really get-go of her go that got published. And she got paid!
With interviews of Prof. Carole Boyce Davies together with Prof. Anne V. Adams from Cornell University, Prof Irwin Appel of the University of California, Santa Barbara, together with Prof. Nana Wilson-Tagoe (University of Missouri), the documentary encouraged intense contemplation, every bit good every bit self-introspection, into the really controversial issues Ama Ata Aidoo was fearless to enhance inwards her works.
She says quite bluntly of controversy, “How tin you lot telephone band yourself a writer, if you’re running away from controversial issues?” And so controversial issues at that spot were:
The contemporary Ghanaian adult woman battling the stereotype. Talking nearly the graphic symbol Esi inwards her novel Changes inwards the documentary, Ama Ata Aidoo shared the numerous accusations readers made of her, “She’s cold”, “She’s selfish”, “She’s non a skillful mother”, etc. together with inwards her blunt together with matter-of-fact way, Ama Ata Aidoo reminds all outraged sensibilities that this world is non solely for the warm, the unselfish, together with skillful mothers.
Ama Ata Aidoo receiving laurels at the fifth anniversary of African Women Development Fund
The dark business organisation of slavery together with the guilt-driven Ghanaian handling of a past times they would rather non bargain with. Yaba together with Amina’s documentary explored Theatre inwards telling the story of Ama Ata Aidoo’s words together with their universal truth. In deliberate juxtaposition, Yaba Badoe together with Amina Mama present scenes from the functioning of ‘Anowa at the University of California , Santa Babara, inwards conjunction alongside Ama Ata Aidoo reading the words of the play. I observe what this did for me every bit a viewer was a play on the really dissimilar ways inwards which her Ama’s words could last interpreted inwards the dissimilar voices that were employed. Reading (and acting) a department of Anowa which recounted what her grandmother said to her nearly places she’d been to, Ama Ata Aidoo’s vocalism was motherly, together with softly censorial, every bit is usual of a Ghanaian grandmother to her eager together with curious grandchild. The African American actress, Erin Pettigrew, said those really same words alongside all the weight of a painful history of which she was a effect of. Where ‘places’ was a thing of lamentable together with painful wonder inwards an older Ama Ata Aidoo’s voice, ‘places’ inwards immature Erin’s vocalism had a band of desperation together with an exuberant, tearful anger together with indignation. Where Anowa would have got been interpreted every bit a lamentable love story, excerpts from this play hinted a to a greater extent than heavy-handed focus on the issues of slavery which Ama Ata Aidoo raised inwards that timeless play. “Ghanaians have got e'er been nervous of the presence of the Diaspora here,” Ama Ata Aidoo says.In interviews nearly the play included inwards the documentary, the many factors which mightiness have got influenced the mindscape of Ama Ata Aidoo every bit she wrote Anowa are examined: She beingness a Ghanaian author inwards the the States of America inwards the ‘sixties, a fourth dimension of the Black Civil Rights movements, a fourth dimension of burgeoning feminism, the hippie revolution together with so much more. All of this played a huge business office inwards the themes together with allegory probed into inwards Anowa.
African Writers luncheon alongside Ama Ata Aidoo, Ngugi Wa Thiong’o, Nii Ayi Parkes, Martin Egblewogbe, Nana Fredua Agyeman, Nana Nyarko Boateng, Nana Ayibea Clarke together with Kinna Likimani.
Language. Speaking nearly the medium she writes in: English, Ama Ata Aidoo shared that since it was English linguistic communication she had chosen to write in, she would brand certain all her characters were every bit authentically Ghanaian every bit possible which informs her really unique trend of speech, using uncomplicated words inwards symbolic ways, really much similar the proverbial speech communication of Ghanaian local languages.4. Her phenomenal go Our sis Killjoy together with her hints on the theme of lesbianism inwards the piece. Ama Ata Aidoo shared how she was attacked from both sides; past times Ghanaians who defendant her of introducing something unusual to Republic of Ghana together with lesbians who defendant her of non thoroughly dealing alongside it because she disapproved.5. Her go every bit the Minister of Education, the unapologetic chauvinism of parliament together with how it interfered alongside her writing. She spoke really candidly, every bit is her style, of how inwards Cabinet, when the men spoke, everyone treated it every bit important, but when she began to speak, “suddenly, those who were smokers would low-cal a cigarette, others would of a abrupt wishing to transcend notes” together with such inwards the typical, chauvinistic trend alongside which most Ghanaian men process women, leaders or not. Even worse, was how her go every bit a author was interfered alongside due to her ministerial duties, to which the really wise Ama reflected, “Writers, precisely write. Everything else is secondary.”
The Woman’s story that is never told. “Women’s biographies together with stories are non told, women practice non have got the attribution that they ought to have got together with this is why nosotros ought to last proud of this documentary, inwards this most provocative medium,” Prof. Esi Sutherland said inwards her speech communication at the premiere of the documentary. And that was what nosotros did in conclusion night, celebrate a phenomenal adult woman whose fearlessness together with incredible gift has left a legacy that spans continents together with cultures to go something universal.
My solely qualm was that at that spot was really niggling shown of the corking impact of Ama Ata Aidoo on Ghanaian pupils together with students.
I felt a holistic story of such a universal, together with national, figure was non consummate without this.
Though the scenes of Anowa, Dilemma of a Ghost, beingness treated inwards an American academy was a powerful means of showing that the relevance of Ama Ata Aidoo’s go had gone beyond the Ghanaian shores, Ghanaian schoolhouse children who read her go every bit prescribed literature, teachers of all levels who learn her work, were also scenes I felt needed to last included.
This would have got added corking perspective inwards telling nearly the national legend Ama Ata Aidoo is for us every bit Ghanaians.
On the whole however, the documentary is outstanding inwards portraying how Ama Ata Aidoo has go non precisely a Ghanaian vocal of celebration, but a timeless melody that is sung across continents together with cultures, across races together with differences, to go a cosmic figure, non precisely inwards Ghanaian, African or African American literature, but Literature every bit a whole.
By: Nana Akosua Hanson/citifmonline.com/Ghana
of Independence
I have got been happy
being me:
an African
a woman
and a writer.
Just have got your racism
your sexism
your pragmatism
off me;
overt
covert or
internalized
And
damned you!"
"An Angry Letter inwards January" Ama Ata Aidoo.
Ama Ata Aidoo, Ghanaian author, poet, playwright together with academic, who is also a erstwhile Minister of Education inwards the Republic of Ghana government. She is the editor of the anthology African Love Stories
Professor Ama Ata Aidoo, née Christina Ama Aidoo is an internationally recognized literary
together with intellectual Ghanaian figure of ethnic Fante extraction. She is every bit an accomplished author, poet, playwright, academic, feminist, together with beacon to writers earth over. Aidoo is also a erstwhile Minister of Education inwards the Republic of Ghana government. Her novel 'Changes: a Love Story" won the coveted Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best Book (Africa) inwards 1992. She is also an accomplished poet - her collection Someone Talking to Sometime won the Nelson Mandela Prize for Poetry inwards 1987 - together with has written several children's books.Aidoo is the editor of the anthology African Love Stories.
On Wednesday, September 17th 2014 at the British Council inwards Accra, Ghana, the much awaited documentary on Prof Aidoo entitled "The Art of Ama Ata Aidoo" position together past times Yaba Badoe together with Amina Mama, was finally premiered. The Art of Ama Ata Aidoo explores the artistic contribution of i of the Africa’s firstly adult woman writers, a trailblazer for an entire generation of exciting novel talent. The cinema charts Ama Ata Aidoo’s creative journeying inwards a life that spans seven decades from colonial Republic of Ghana through the tumultuous era of independence to a to a greater extent than sober acquaint 24-hour interval Africa where nurturing women’s creative talent remains every bit difficult every bit ever.
Aidoo is an outspoken adult woman who, inwards the tradition of about of her predecessors such every bit Flora Nwapa (Nigeria) together with Efua T Sutherland (Ghana) both resists together with subverts traditional literary boundaries. Femi-Ojo (1982) pejoratively labelled her every bit belonging to the “old guard” of African women writers who are less ideologically aggressive, but Aidoo is nevertheless respected past times well-established writers such every bit Buchi Emecheta -who thinks of herself every bit Aidoo’s novel sister-or past times the still-relatively unknown Ghanaian author Ama Darko-who pays respects to Aidoo every bit her literary mother.
María Frías inwards her 1998 interview alongside Prof Aidoo entitled "An Interview alongside Ama Ata Aidoo: “I Learnt my First Feminist Lessons inwards Africa,” described her every bit "a medium-sized, strongly built, round-faced adult woman who wears Ghanaian dresses, together with rich, colorful, together with beautiful headwraps tied to her dignified head." Frias farther averred that Prof Aidoo`s celebration of the African story-telling tradition, her critical sentiment of the Western world, her rebellion against “the colonization of the African minds”, together with her preoccupation alongside the hereafter of her province together with her Ghanaian people-women inwards particular-makes a conversation alongside Ama Ata Aidoo a learning experience. Her vocalism e'er sounds fresh, critical, outrageous together with total of life.
She has consistently together with fascinatingly explored her guild through many plays, novels, brusque stories together with poems. Aidoo is the author of plays The Dilemma of a Ghost (1965), together with Anowa (1970); brusque stories No Sweetness Here (1979), together with The Girl Who Can together with Other Stories (1999); novels Our Sister Killjoy or Reflections from a Black-Eyed Squint (1977), together with Changes (1991); collections of poems Someone Talking to Sometime (1985), together with An Angry Letter inwards Jan together with Other Poems; children’s books The Eagle together with Chickens together with Other Stories (1986), together with Birds together with Other Poems (1987).
Prof Ama Ata Aidoo
Her fictional plant are explicitly critical of the colonial history of Ghana, together with of what she refers to every bit the “dance of masquerades called independence”. Anowa (1970), No Sweetness Here (1970), Our Sister Killjoy (1977) pull together with criticize oppression together with inequality, target colonialism together with implicitly deny the term “postcolonial”. Aidoo is also known every bit an of import feminist writer. Her
plant characteristic rigid woman individual protagonists who are faced alongside institutionalized together with personal sexist attitudes on a daily basis. In her non-fictional writings, Aidoo also explicitly fights against the axis of oppressive social constructions of gender together with their consequences for women. She blames colonialism for importing “a fully developed sexist system, which has been adapted, maintained together with exacerbated every bit it has been integrated into dissimilar aspects of African culture” (Marangoly, Scott
1993: 299). As alongside other African women writers, to utilization Busia’s words (1989-90: 90), Aidoo challenges, deconstructs, together with subverts the traditional “voicelessness of the dark women trope”.
One how she became a successful writer, Amat Ata Aidoo wrote inwards “To Be a Woman” (1985: 259), alongside a quote from her uneducated aunt: “My child, acquire every bit far every bit you lot tin into this education. Go until you lot yourself are tired. As for marriage, it is something a adult woman picks upward along the way”.
Through her brusque story writing prowess every bit exhibited inwards “No Sweetness Here”, Ama Ata Aidoo caught the attending of the celebrated literary giants Langston Hughes, Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka together with others together with was invited to the African Writers Workshop at the University of Ibadan inwards 1962 when she was solely 22 years old. At these Workshop Ama Ata Aidoo did non solely interacted alongside African literary giants together with received exposure but she also met a really immature ‘Molara Ogundipe Leslie who also a educatee together with a player at the workshop.
Nigerian author Chinua Achebe together with Ghanian author Ama Ata Aidoo
Ama Ata Aidoo perceives herself every bit a teacher, get-go together with foremost, together with similar to learn her students nearly other African women writers. "I have got been teaching Mariama Bâ (So Long a Letter), Bessie Head (A Question of Power), Buchi Emecheta (Joys of Motherhood) -which is a must-and, although she is non past times nationality an African, I’ve e'er taught Marise Condé (Segú). In drama, I wouldn’t fifty-fifty displace i inch without teaching Efua Sutherland, especially 'The Marriage of Anansewa." I e'er learn Nawal El Saadawi together with at that spot are a whole lot of other women (Frias 1998: 18-19).
Though venerated inwards Europe together with the USA every bit the firstly African feminist-a fact that she somewhat resents together with long immersed inwards gender issues-both at a personal, political, together with literary level- Aidoo silent questions artificial critical constructions. Her women, though, next the principles of the Akan guild she comes from, are strong, hard-working, independent, articulate, together with smart, thus, deconstructing the stereotypical epitome of the submissive, passive, together with battered African woman. Aidoo herself takes pains to explicate the reasons for portraying these provocative woman individual protagonists: People say to me: “Your women characters seem to last stronger than nosotros are used to when thinking nearly African women”. As far every bit I am concerned these are the African women amid whom I was brought up. In damage of women standing on their ain feet, within or exterior marriage, generally from within marriage, living life on their ain terms. (Wilson-Tagoe, 200: 248).
Ama Ata Aidoo made her glorious debut into this house of life inwards 23 March 1940 at Saltpond inwards the Central Region of Ghana. She grew upward inwards a Nkusukum (sub-ethnic Fante group) majestic household every bit the dearest missy of Nana Yaw Fama, principal of Abeadzi Kyiakor, together with Maame Abasema. Her Fante (Akan) ethnic grouping are matriarchal people together with openly favors women to the extent that the woman parent of iv sons silent considers herself “infertile” because she could non have got whatsoever daughters, together with where women are supposed to have got the say-so but non the powerfulness to rule-Aidoo’s (for some) progressive portrayal of African women is precisely a reflection of what she saw: “I got this incredible
birds-eye sentiment of what happens inwards that guild together with I definitely knew that beingness a adult woman is enormously of import inwards Akan society” (Wilson-Tagoe, 2002: 48).
In tandem alongside Fantes favoritism for women, women didactics is non joked alongside with at all every bit Dr James Emman Kwegyir Aggrey, the famous African educator together with an unadulterated Fante ssummed it up: "If you lot educate a man, you lot educate i individual but if you lot educate a woman, you lot educate a whole nation.” even alongside this quote the master copy states “. . ., if you lot educate a woman, you lot educate a family”).
Ama Ata Aidoo alongside Prof Wole Soyinka.
In delineate alongside the Fante tradition, immature Nkusukum princess Ama Ata Aidoo had her basic didactics at Saltpond together with afterwards, was sent past times her manful individual parent to Wesley Girls' High School inwards Cape Coast from 1961 to 1964. The headmistress of Wesley Girls' bought her her get-go typewriter. After leaving high school, she enrolled at the University of Republic of Ghana inwards Legon together with received her Bachelor of Arts inwards English linguistic communication every bit good every bit writing her get-go play, The Dilemma of a Ghost, inwards 1964. The play was published past times Longman the next year, making Aidoo the get-go published African adult woman dramatist.
She worked inwards the the States of America where she held a companionship inwards creative writing at Stanford University. She also served every bit a enquiry boyfriend at the Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, together with every bit a Lecturer inwards English linguistic communication at the University of Cape Coast, eventually rising at that spot to the seat of Professor.
Aside from her literary career, Aidoo was appointed Minister of Education nether the Provisional National Defence Council inwards 1982. She resigned after eighteen months. She has also spent a corking bargain of fourth dimension teaching together with living abroad for months at a time. She has lived inwards America, Britain, Germany, together with Zimbabwe. Aidoo taught diverse English linguistic communication courses at Hamilton College inwards Clinton, NY inwards the early on to mid-1990s. She is currently a Visiting Professor inwards the Africana Studies Department at Brown University.
Ama Ata Aidoo sitting downwardly alongside her colleague Kenyan author Ngugi Wa Thiong’o, the famous author of Weep Not Child novel. Courtesy Nana Kofi Acquah.
Aidoo's plant of fiction peculiarly bargain alongside the tension betwixt Western together with African world views. Her get-go novel," Our Sister Killjoy", was published inwards 1977 together with remains i of her most pop works. In "Our Sister Killjoy", Aidoo is concerned generally alongside the estrangement of the African educated class. Sissy, the main character, is offered a grant to have a European
education. Her journeying into the westward chronicles dissimilar aspects of her resistance to the overriding ideological hostilities that convey downwardly Africa together with African people.The novel is divided into iv parts. “Into a Bad Dream” relates Sissie’s move sense to Germany. She is secure inwards her racial background, together with solely progressively over the itineraries of her ‘westbound mobility’ does she
go witting of her color complexion. In “The Plums,” Sissie discovers Marija, a novel High German friend. Marija is entangled inwards boredom together with straightaway gets caught within the exotic Other ‘the black-eyed squint’ educatee stands for. In the class of their friendship, Sissie finds out Marija’s perverted behaviors, rejects her lesbianism together with leaves her inwards frustration together with total disillusionment. In “From Our Sister Killjoy,” Sissie moves to London, the colonial working capital missive of the alphabet which brings dorsum into her
heed the whole tale nearly the British colonial sense inwards Ghana. She appears to last extremely disappointed at the tragic social reality together with marginalization of dark African immigrants. In the epistolary department on a “Love Letter”, Sissie is engaged inwards a mock-conversation alongside a lover, using an extremely sarcastic trend to assert her identity through the experiences she went through.
Raised in, respectful towards, together with proud of her African oral tradition together with the ancient story-telling, Aidoo’s forte is inwards her dialogues. Aidoo invests her woman individual characters alongside the powerful tool of speech. Her African women brand utilization of words every bit weapons to the extent that they tin easily together with intelligently fustigate men’s egos together with trounce them dialectically /metaphorically, at the same fourth dimension gaining the honour of the other sisters inwards the community.
H5N1 adieu hug
Students together with faculty colleagues bid adieu to Ghanaian playwright Ama Ata Aidoo. Credit: Mike Cohea/Brown University
Furthermore, inwards Allan’s words (1994: 188-89), Aidoo’s instinctive together with innovative utilization of similes together with proverbs is an effective rhetorical tool which shows women’s verbal dexterity at the same fourth dimension every bit it highlights collective wisdom: Africanisms, novel words coined from the alchemic blending of English linguistic communication together with the African cultural scene, enrich Aidoo’s linguistic repertoire. Such damage every bit “flabberwhelmed”, “negatively eventful”, together with “away matches” violate criterion English linguistic communication inwards monastic tell to limited a socio-linguistic identity that is uniquely African.
Aidoo has travelled widely, is non blind to the trauma together with hurting of the African diaspora, together with has personally experienced the e'er confl ictive run into betwixt African together with Western cultures. Maybe this is the ground why about of her woman individual protagonists also undergo a physical together with emotional journeying that is painful together with traumatic, though e'er instructive together with regenerative. Aidoo deals alongside the impact of colonialism, postcolonialism, together with neo-colonialism on the bodies together with psyches of her African women characters but, opposite to the “nervous condition” of Dangarembga’s woman individual protagonist, Aidoo’s women are much to a greater extent than inwards command of their bodies together with minds together with they tin e'er come upward dorsum home-though psychologically injured, physically exhausted, emotionally disillusioned, together with culturally alienated-start a novel life, or select a liberating but tragic ending. Though confronted alongside together with struggling against social norms together with cultural disintegration every bit good every bit alongside the traumatic dichotomy of African tradition versus Western modernity, Aidoo’s women-albeit shaken-retain their sanity together with are able to articulate their anger. Madness-a recurrent
theme inwards post-colonial African fiction Femi-Ojo (1979), Adepitan (1993/94)-does non hitting /affect Aidoo’s heroines. Only inwards the representative of Anowa did Aidoo contemplate the possibility of her protagonist ending upward insane, but she idea it likewise cruel, together with handed Anowa the privilege of choosing her ain death. Aidoo’s women are peripatetic beings who cross boundaries-geographical, social, cultural, together with emotional-who dare to pace over patriarchal borderlines, who violate traditional discourses on the cult of union together with motherhood, at the same fourth dimension every bit they dramatize their vulnerability together with their subjugation to African tradition. As Allan (1994: 178) argues, past times portraying African women’s tensions, frustrations, together with contradictions, Aidoo’s plant refl ect on the dual theme of “social stasis”-tradition-versus “change”-modernity.
source:http://publicaciones.ua.es/filespubli/pdf/02144808RD16064646.pdf
"THE ART OF AMA ATA AIDOO" : A DOCUMENTARY past times Yaba Badoe together with Amina Mama
The fine art of Ama Ata Aidoo is a really thrilling exploration of the vast universe that is Ama Ata Aidoo’s heed together with it’s phenomenal aspect inwards her literary plant which have got so shaken upward the really foundations of literature inwards Republic of Ghana together with Africa.
Traversing her life from the inception of her fine art to its explosion, the documentary gives quite a brilliant insight into the cultural, societal, together with familial influences that, inwards many ways, were the inception of the corking literary heed that was Ama Ata Aidoo’s.
Yaba Badoe (right) together with Ama Ata Aidoo inwards conversation at the AWDF African Women inwards Film Forum
In the documentary, Ama Ata Aidoo remembers stories her woman parent used to tell her inwards the early on mornings inwards the hamlet (not the usual nighttime storytelling style), of a preacher-man/ evangelist who came past times the hamlet when she was young, of her majestic nativity together with subsequent disregard for the establishment of royalty.
In the nostalgia of black-and-white, sepia-tinted pictures, she also shares the fairly pivotal influence of a instructor inwards Wesley Girls High schoolhouse who gave a immature Ama Ata Aidoo her get-go typewriter after she expressed the ‘crazy’ wishing to last a writer.
Her fourth dimension inwards Takoradi was about other pivotal 2d inwards Ama’s life where she participated inwards a Christmas story contest running inwards the Daily Graphic at the time.
Her story was published, which turned out to last a milestone for her, beingness the really get-go of her go that got published. And she got paid!
With interviews of Prof. Carole Boyce Davies together with Prof. Anne V. Adams from Cornell University, Prof Irwin Appel of the University of California, Santa Barbara, together with Prof. Nana Wilson-Tagoe (University of Missouri), the documentary encouraged intense contemplation, every bit good every bit self-introspection, into the really controversial issues Ama Ata Aidoo was fearless to enhance inwards her works.
She says quite bluntly of controversy, “How tin you lot telephone band yourself a writer, if you’re running away from controversial issues?” And so controversial issues at that spot were:
The contemporary Ghanaian adult woman battling the stereotype. Talking nearly the graphic symbol Esi inwards her novel Changes inwards the documentary, Ama Ata Aidoo shared the numerous accusations readers made of her, “She’s cold”, “She’s selfish”, “She’s non a skillful mother”, etc. together with inwards her blunt together with matter-of-fact way, Ama Ata Aidoo reminds all outraged sensibilities that this world is non solely for the warm, the unselfish, together with skillful mothers.
Ama Ata Aidoo receiving laurels at the fifth anniversary of African Women Development Fund
The dark business organisation of slavery together with the guilt-driven Ghanaian handling of a past times they would rather non bargain with. Yaba together with Amina’s documentary explored Theatre inwards telling the story of Ama Ata Aidoo’s words together with their universal truth. In deliberate juxtaposition, Yaba Badoe together with Amina Mama present scenes from the functioning of ‘Anowa at the University of California , Santa Babara, inwards conjunction alongside Ama Ata Aidoo reading the words of the play. I observe what this did for me every bit a viewer was a play on the really dissimilar ways inwards which her Ama’s words could last interpreted inwards the dissimilar voices that were employed. Reading (and acting) a department of Anowa which recounted what her grandmother said to her nearly places she’d been to, Ama Ata Aidoo’s vocalism was motherly, together with softly censorial, every bit is usual of a Ghanaian grandmother to her eager together with curious grandchild. The African American actress, Erin Pettigrew, said those really same words alongside all the weight of a painful history of which she was a effect of. Where ‘places’ was a thing of lamentable together with painful wonder inwards an older Ama Ata Aidoo’s voice, ‘places’ inwards immature Erin’s vocalism had a band of desperation together with an exuberant, tearful anger together with indignation. Where Anowa would have got been interpreted every bit a lamentable love story, excerpts from this play hinted a to a greater extent than heavy-handed focus on the issues of slavery which Ama Ata Aidoo raised inwards that timeless play. “Ghanaians have got e'er been nervous of the presence of the Diaspora here,” Ama Ata Aidoo says.In interviews nearly the play included inwards the documentary, the many factors which mightiness have got influenced the mindscape of Ama Ata Aidoo every bit she wrote Anowa are examined: She beingness a Ghanaian author inwards the the States of America inwards the ‘sixties, a fourth dimension of the Black Civil Rights movements, a fourth dimension of burgeoning feminism, the hippie revolution together with so much more. All of this played a huge business office inwards the themes together with allegory probed into inwards Anowa.
African Writers luncheon alongside Ama Ata Aidoo, Ngugi Wa Thiong’o, Nii Ayi Parkes, Martin Egblewogbe, Nana Fredua Agyeman, Nana Nyarko Boateng, Nana Ayibea Clarke together with Kinna Likimani.
Language. Speaking nearly the medium she writes in: English, Ama Ata Aidoo shared that since it was English linguistic communication she had chosen to write in, she would brand certain all her characters were every bit authentically Ghanaian every bit possible which informs her really unique trend of speech, using uncomplicated words inwards symbolic ways, really much similar the proverbial speech communication of Ghanaian local languages.4. Her phenomenal go Our sis Killjoy together with her hints on the theme of lesbianism inwards the piece. Ama Ata Aidoo shared how she was attacked from both sides; past times Ghanaians who defendant her of introducing something unusual to Republic of Ghana together with lesbians who defendant her of non thoroughly dealing alongside it because she disapproved.5. Her go every bit the Minister of Education, the unapologetic chauvinism of parliament together with how it interfered alongside her writing. She spoke really candidly, every bit is her style, of how inwards Cabinet, when the men spoke, everyone treated it every bit important, but when she began to speak, “suddenly, those who were smokers would low-cal a cigarette, others would of a abrupt wishing to transcend notes” together with such inwards the typical, chauvinistic trend alongside which most Ghanaian men process women, leaders or not. Even worse, was how her go every bit a author was interfered alongside due to her ministerial duties, to which the really wise Ama reflected, “Writers, precisely write. Everything else is secondary.”
The Woman’s story that is never told. “Women’s biographies together with stories are non told, women practice non have got the attribution that they ought to have got together with this is why nosotros ought to last proud of this documentary, inwards this most provocative medium,” Prof. Esi Sutherland said inwards her speech communication at the premiere of the documentary. And that was what nosotros did in conclusion night, celebrate a phenomenal adult woman whose fearlessness together with incredible gift has left a legacy that spans continents together with cultures to go something universal.
My solely qualm was that at that spot was really niggling shown of the corking impact of Ama Ata Aidoo on Ghanaian pupils together with students.
I felt a holistic story of such a universal, together with national, figure was non consummate without this.
Though the scenes of Anowa, Dilemma of a Ghost, beingness treated inwards an American academy was a powerful means of showing that the relevance of Ama Ata Aidoo’s go had gone beyond the Ghanaian shores, Ghanaian schoolhouse children who read her go every bit prescribed literature, teachers of all levels who learn her work, were also scenes I felt needed to last included.
This would have got added corking perspective inwards telling nearly the national legend Ama Ata Aidoo is for us every bit Ghanaians.
On the whole however, the documentary is outstanding inwards portraying how Ama Ata Aidoo has go non precisely a Ghanaian vocal of celebration, but a timeless melody that is sung across continents together with cultures, across races together with differences, to go a cosmic figure, non precisely inwards Ghanaian, African or African American literature, but Literature every bit a whole.
By: Nana Akosua Hanson/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Ama Ata Aidoo beingness hugged past times boyfriend author Wole Soyinka at an trial inwards Accra, ninth July celebrating his 80th year
Picture Credit: Kobina Graham
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