Remembering Ama Ata Aidoo: A Pioneer of African Literature and Feminism

2023-06-02 10:54:00

The news came in a statement from the artist’s family announcing that the latter had passed away following a short illness. They also ask for their privacy to be respected to allow them to grieve, explains the BBC.

Ama Ata Aidoo was a seasoned feminist. An important figure on the African literary and cultural scene, she has held key positions in the field of education and the promotion of culture in Ghana. She was, in particular, Minister of Education of her country for eighteen months from 1982.

She dabbled in various genres such as poetry, drama and fiction. Her works generally explore themes of identity, gender, culture and interpersonal relationships. She was also the first African playwright to be published.

Among his most famous works is the play The Dilemma of a Ghost (1965), the short story collection No Sweetness Here (1970) and the novel Changes : A Love Story (1991) which won the Commonwealth Writers Prize in 1992. The latter was translated in 2008 by Éditions Zoé under the title Love Disordersby Eloise Brezault and Catherine Tymen.

Aidoo did not hesitate to speak out once morest what she called the “western perception that the African woman is an oppressed wretchand the traditions inherited from British rule, between 1821 and 1957. In addition, together with his daughter Kinna Likimani, Aidoo created the Fondation Mbaasem in Ghana to support African women writers.

Photo credits: Ama Ata Aidoo at Africa Writes 2014 by RAS News & Events (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

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