Ama Ata Aidoo: Ane Of The Africa`S Oldest Best Author, Feminist, Academician, An Internationally Recognized Literary Giant Together With Intellectual Ghanaian Figure
"As Always.... a Painful Declaration
of Independence
I remove hold been happy
being me:
an African
a woman
and a writer.
Just accept your racism
your sexism
your pragmatism
off me;
overt
covert or
internalized
And
damned you!"
"An Angry Letter inward 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 equally an accomplished author, poet, playwright, academic, feminist, together with beacon to writers Earth over. Aidoo is also a onetime Minister of Education inward the Republic of Ghana government. Her novel 'Changes: a Love Story" won the coveted Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best Book (Africa) inward 1992. She is also an accomplished poet - her collection Someone Talking to Sometime won the Nelson Mandela Prize for Poetry inward 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 inward Accra, Ghana, the much awaited documentary on Prof Aidoo entitled "The Art of Ama Ata Aidoo" seat together past times Yaba Badoe together with Amina Mama, was finally premiered. The Art of Ama Ata Aidoo explores the artistic contribution of 1 of the Africa’s initiatory adult woman writers, a trailblazer for an entire generation of exciting novel talent. The celluloid charts Ama Ata Aidoo’s creative journeying inward 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 introduce twenty-four hr catamenia Africa where nurturing women’s creative talent remains equally difficult equally ever.
Aidoo is an outspoken adult woman who, inward the tradition of precisely about of her predecessors such equally Flora Nwapa (Nigeria) together with Efua T Sutherland (Ghana) both resists together with subverts traditional literary boundaries. Femi-Ojo (1982) pejoratively labelled her equally 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 equally Buchi Emecheta -who thinks of herself equally Aidoo’s novel sister-or past times the still-relatively unknown Ghanaian author Ama Darko-who pays respects to Aidoo equally her literary mother.
María Frías inward her 1998 interview with Prof Aidoo entitled "An Interview with Ama Ata Aidoo: “I Learnt my First Feminist Lessons inward Africa,” described her equally "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 with the hereafter of her province together with her Ghanaian people-women inward particular-makes a conversation with Ama Ata Aidoo a learning experience. Her vocalism ever sounds fresh, critical, outrageous together with total of life.
She has consistently together with fascinatingly explored her guild through many plays, novels, curt stories together with poems. Aidoo is the author of plays The Dilemma of a Ghost (1965), together with Anowa (1970); curt 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 inward 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 industrial plant are explicitly critical of the colonial history of Ghana, together with of what she refers to equally the “dance of masquerades called independence”. Anowa (1970), No Sweetness Here (1970), Our Sister Killjoy (1977) depict together with criticize oppression together with inequality, target colonialism together with implicitly deny the term “postcolonial”. Aidoo is also known equally an of import feminist writer. Her
industrial plant characteristic potent woman somebody protagonists who are faced with 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 equally it has been integrated into dissimilar aspects of African culture” (Marangoly, Scott
1993: 299). As with 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 inward “To Be a Woman” (1985: 259), with a quote from her uneducated aunt: “My child, acquire equally far equally you lot tin flaming 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 curt story writing prowess equally exhibited inward “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 inward 1962 when she was exclusively 22 years old. At these Workshop Ama Ata Aidoo did non exclusively interacted with African literary giants together with received exposure but she also met a really immature ‘Molara Ogundipe Leslie who also a pupil together with a player at the workshop.
Nigerian author Chinua Achebe together with Ghanian author Ama Ata Aidoo
Ama Ata Aidoo perceives herself equally a teacher, outset together with foremost, together with similar to learn her students almost other African women writers. "I remove hold 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 ever taught Marise Condé (Segú). In drama, I wouldn’t fifty-fifty displace 1 inch without teaching Efua Sutherland, especially 'The Marriage of Anansewa." I ever learn Nawal El Saadawi together with at that topographic point are a whole lot of other women (Frias 1998: 18-19).
Though venerated inward Europe together with the USA equally the initiatory African feminist-a fact that she somewhat resents together with long immersed inward gender issues-both at a personal, political, together with literary level- Aidoo soundless 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 somebody protagonists: People say to me: “Your women characters seem to hold upward stronger than nosotros are used to when thinking almost African women”. As far equally I am concerned these are the African women with whom I was brought up. In price 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 inward 23 March 1940 at Saltpond inward the Central Region of Ghana. She grew upward inward a Nkusukum (sub-ethnic Fante group) purplish household equally the dear immature lady 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 4 sons soundless considers herself “infertile” because she could non remove hold whatsoever daughters, together with where women are supposed to remove hold the authorization but non the powerfulness to rule-Aidoo’s (for some) progressive portrayal of African women is but a reflection of what she saw: “I got this incredible
birds-eye sentiment of what happens inward that guild together with I definitely knew that existence a adult woman is enormously of import inward Akan society” (Wilson-Tagoe, 2002: 48).
In tandem with Fantes favoritism for women, women teaching is non joked with with at all equally 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 1 somebody but if you lot educate a woman, you lot educate a whole nation.” even with this quote the master copy states “. . ., if you lot educate a woman, you lot educate a family”).
In describe with the Fante tradition, immature Nkusukum princess Ama Ata Aidoo had her basic teaching at Saltpond together with afterwards, was sent past times her manlike somebody parent to Wesley Girls' High School inward Cape Coast from 1961 to 1964. The headmistress of Wesley Girls' bought her her outset typewriter. After leaving high school, she enrolled at the University of Republic of Ghana inward Legon together with received her Bachelor of Arts inward English linguistic communication equally good equally writing her outset play, The Dilemma of a Ghost, inward 1964. The play was published past times Longman the next year, making Aidoo the outset published African adult woman dramatist.
She worked inward the U.S. of A. of America of America where she held a companionship inward creative writing at Stanford University. She also served equally a inquiry beau at the Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, together with equally a Lecturer inward English linguistic communication at the University of Cape Coast, eventually rising at that topographic point to the seat of Professor.
Aside from her literary career, Aidoo was appointed Minister of Education nether the Provisional National Defence Council inward 1982. She resigned after eighteen months. She has also spent a groovy bargain of fourth dimension teaching together with living abroad for months at a time. She has lived inward America, Britain, Germany, together with Zimbabwe. Aidoo taught diverse English linguistic communication courses at Hamilton College inward Clinton, NY inward the early on to mid-1990s. She is currently a Visiting Professor inward the Africana Studies Department at Brown University.
Ama Ata Aidoo sitting downwardly with her colleague Kenyan author Ngugi Wa Thiong’o, the famous author of Weep Not Child novel. Courtesy Nana Kofi Acquah.
Aidoo's industrial plant of fiction peculiarly bargain with the tension betwixt Western together with African world views. Her outset novel," Our Sister Killjoy", was published inward 1977 together with remains 1 of her most pop works. In "Our Sister Killjoy", Aidoo is concerned generally with the estrangement of the African educated class. Sissy, the main character, is offered a grant to have a European
education. Her journeying into the W chronicles dissimilar aspects of her resistance to the overriding ideological hostilities that remove downwardly Africa together with African people.The novel is divided into 4 parts. “Into a Bad Dream” relates Sissie’s go sense to Germany. She is secure inward her racial background, together with exclusively progressively over the itineraries of her ‘westbound mobility’ does she
acquire witting of her color complexion. In “The Plums,” Sissie discovers Marija, a novel German linguistic communication friend. Marija is entangled inward boredom together with straight off gets caught within the exotic Other ‘the black-eyed squint’ pupil stands for. In the course of instruction of their friendship, Sissie finds out Marija’s perverted behaviors, rejects her lesbianism together with leaves her inward frustration together with total disillusionment. In “From Our Sister Killjoy,” Sissie moves to London, the colonial majuscule which brings dorsum into her
hear the whole tale almost the British colonial sense inward Ghana. She appears to hold upward 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 inward a mock-conversation with 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 inward her dialogues. Aidoo invests her woman somebody characters with the powerful tool of speech. Her African women brand utilization of words equally weapons to the extent that they tin flaming easily together with intelligently fustigate men’s egos together with vanquish them dialectically /metaphorically, at the same fourth dimension gaining the honor of the other sisters inward the community.
Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 bye hug
Students together with faculty colleagues bid bye to Ghanaian playwright Ama Ata Aidoo. Credit: Mike Cohea/Brown University
Furthermore, inward 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 equally 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 price equally “flabberwhelmed”, “negatively eventful”, together with “away matches” violate measure English linguistic communication inward 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 ever confl ictive run across betwixt African together with Western cultures. Maybe this is the ground why precisely about of her woman somebody protagonists also undergo a physical together with emotional journeying that is painful together with traumatic, though ever instructive together with regenerative. Aidoo deals with 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 somebody protagonist, Aidoo’s women are much to a greater extent than inward command of their bodies together with minds together with they tin flaming ever 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 with together with struggling against social norms together with cultural disintegration equally good equally with 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 inward post-colonial African fiction Femi-Ojo (1979), Adepitan (1993/94)-does non hitting /affect Aidoo’s heroines. Only inward the illustration of Anowa did Aidoo contemplate the possibility of her protagonist ending upward insane, but she idea it also 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 spousal human relationship together with motherhood, at the same fourth dimension equally 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 industrial 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 hear together with it’s phenomenal seem inward her literary industrial plant which remove hold so shaken upward the really foundations of literature inward Republic of Ghana together with Africa.
Traversing her life from the inception of her fine art to its explosion, the documentary gives quite a bright insight into the cultural, societal, together with familial influences that, inward many ways, were the inception of the groovy literary hear that was Ama Ata Aidoo’s.
Yaba Badoe (right) together with Ama Ata Aidoo inward conversation at the AWDF African Women inward Film Forum
In the documentary, Ama Ata Aidoo remembers stories her woman parent used to tell her inward the early on mornings inward 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 purplish nascency 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 inward Wesley Girls High schoolhouse who gave a immature Ama Ata Aidoo her outset typewriter after she expressed the ‘crazy’ wish to hold upward a writer.
Her fourth dimension inward Takoradi was precisely about other pivotal instant inward Ama’s life where she participated inward a Christmas story contest running inward the Daily Graphic at the time.
Her story was published, which turned out to hold upward a milestone for her, existence the really outset of her function 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, equally good equally self-introspection, into the really controversial issues Ama Ata Aidoo was fearless to heighten inward her works.
She says quite bluntly of controversy, “How tin flaming you lot telephone holler upward yourself a writer, if you’re running away from controversial issues?” And so controversial issues at that topographic point were:
The contemporary Ghanaian adult woman battling the stereotype. Talking almost the grapheme Esi inward her novel Changes inward the documentary, Ama Ata Aidoo shared the numerous accusations readers made of her, “She’s cold”, “She’s selfish”, “She’s non a expert mother”, etc. together with inward her blunt together with matter-of-fact way, Ama Ata Aidoo reminds all outraged sensibilities that this world is non exclusively for the warm, the unselfish, together with expert mothers.
Ama Ata Aidoo receiving honour at the fifth anniversary of African Women Development Fund
The dark concern 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 inward telling the story of Ama Ata Aidoo’s words together with their universal truth. In deliberate juxtaposition, Yaba Badoe together with Amina Mama exhibit scenes from the functioning of ‘Anowa at the University of California , Santa Babara, inward conjunction with Ama Ata Aidoo reading the words of the play. I uncovering what this did for me equally a viewer was a play on the really dissimilar ways inward which her Ama’s words could hold upward interpreted inward the dissimilar voices that were employed. Reading (and acting) a department of Anowa which recounted what her grandmother said to her almost places she’d been to, Ama Ata Aidoo’s vocalism was motherly, together with softly censorial, equally is usual of a Ghanaian grandmother to her eager together with curious grandchild. The African American actress, Erin Pettigrew, said those really same words with all the weight of a painful history of which she was a resultant of. Where ‘places’ was a thing of pitiable together with painful wonder inward an older Ama Ata Aidoo’s voice, ‘places’ inward immature Erin’s vocalism had a band of desperation together with an exuberant, tearful anger together with indignation. Where Anowa would remove hold been interpreted equally a pitiable 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 inward that timeless play. “Ghanaians remove hold ever been nervous of the presence of the Diaspora here,” Ama Ata Aidoo says.In interviews almost the play included inward the documentary, the many factors which mightiness remove hold influenced the mindscape of Ama Ata Aidoo equally she wrote Anowa are examined: She existence a Ghanaian author inward the U.S. of A. of America of America inward 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 inward the themes together with allegory probed into inward Anowa.
African Writers luncheon with 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 almost 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 equally authentically Ghanaian equally possible which informs her really unique trend of speech, using uncomplicated words inward symbolic ways, really much similar the proverbial spoken communication of Ghanaian local languages.4. Her phenomenal function Our sis Killjoy together with her hints on the topic of lesbianism inward 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 with it because she disapproved.5. Her function equally the Minister of Education, the unapologetic chauvinism of parliament together with how it interfered with her writing. She spoke really candidly, equally is her style, of how inward Cabinet, when the men spoke, everyone treated it equally important, but when she began to speak, “suddenly, those who were smokers would lite a cigarette, others would all of a precipitous wish to top notes” together with such inward the typical, chauvinistic agency with which most Ghanaian men process women, leaders or not. Even worse, was how her function equally a author was interfered with 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 practise non accept the attribution that they ought to accept together with this is why nosotros ought to hold upward proud of this documentary, inward this most provocative medium,” Prof. Esi Sutherland said inward her spoken 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 acquire something universal.
My exclusively qualm was that at that topographic point was really piffling shown of the groovy 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, existence treated inward an American academy was a powerful agency of showing that the relevance of Ama Ata Aidoo’s function had gone beyond the Ghanaian shores, Ghanaian schoolhouse children who read her function equally prescribed literature, teachers of all levels who learn her work, were also scenes I felt needed to hold upward included.
This would remove hold added groovy perspective inward telling almost the national legend Ama Ata Aidoo is for us equally Ghanaians.
On the whole however, the documentary is outstanding inward portraying how Ama Ata Aidoo has acquire 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 acquire a cosmic figure, non precisely inward Ghanaian, African or African American literature, but Literature equally a whole.
By: Nana Akosua Hanson/citifmonline.com/Ghana
of Independence
I remove hold been happy
being me:
an African
a woman
and a writer.
Just accept your racism
your sexism
your pragmatism
off me;
overt
covert or
internalized
And
damned you!"
"An Angry Letter inward January" Ama Ata Aidoo.
Ama Ata Aidoo, Ghanaian author, poet, playwright together with academic, who is also a onetime Minister of Education inward 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 equally an accomplished author, poet, playwright, academic, feminist, together with beacon to writers Earth over. Aidoo is also a onetime Minister of Education inward the Republic of Ghana government. Her novel 'Changes: a Love Story" won the coveted Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best Book (Africa) inward 1992. She is also an accomplished poet - her collection Someone Talking to Sometime won the Nelson Mandela Prize for Poetry inward 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 inward Accra, Ghana, the much awaited documentary on Prof Aidoo entitled "The Art of Ama Ata Aidoo" seat together past times Yaba Badoe together with Amina Mama, was finally premiered. The Art of Ama Ata Aidoo explores the artistic contribution of 1 of the Africa’s initiatory adult woman writers, a trailblazer for an entire generation of exciting novel talent. The celluloid charts Ama Ata Aidoo’s creative journeying inward 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 introduce twenty-four hr catamenia Africa where nurturing women’s creative talent remains equally difficult equally ever.
Aidoo is an outspoken adult woman who, inward the tradition of precisely about of her predecessors such equally Flora Nwapa (Nigeria) together with Efua T Sutherland (Ghana) both resists together with subverts traditional literary boundaries. Femi-Ojo (1982) pejoratively labelled her equally 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 equally Buchi Emecheta -who thinks of herself equally Aidoo’s novel sister-or past times the still-relatively unknown Ghanaian author Ama Darko-who pays respects to Aidoo equally her literary mother.
María Frías inward her 1998 interview with Prof Aidoo entitled "An Interview with Ama Ata Aidoo: “I Learnt my First Feminist Lessons inward Africa,” described her equally "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 with the hereafter of her province together with her Ghanaian people-women inward particular-makes a conversation with Ama Ata Aidoo a learning experience. Her vocalism ever sounds fresh, critical, outrageous together with total of life.
She has consistently together with fascinatingly explored her guild through many plays, novels, curt stories together with poems. Aidoo is the author of plays The Dilemma of a Ghost (1965), together with Anowa (1970); curt 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 inward 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 industrial plant are explicitly critical of the colonial history of Ghana, together with of what she refers to equally the “dance of masquerades called independence”. Anowa (1970), No Sweetness Here (1970), Our Sister Killjoy (1977) depict together with criticize oppression together with inequality, target colonialism together with implicitly deny the term “postcolonial”. Aidoo is also known equally an of import feminist writer. Her
industrial plant characteristic potent woman somebody protagonists who are faced with 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 equally it has been integrated into dissimilar aspects of African culture” (Marangoly, Scott
1993: 299). As with 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 inward “To Be a Woman” (1985: 259), with a quote from her uneducated aunt: “My child, acquire equally far equally you lot tin flaming 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 curt story writing prowess equally exhibited inward “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 inward 1962 when she was exclusively 22 years old. At these Workshop Ama Ata Aidoo did non exclusively interacted with African literary giants together with received exposure but she also met a really immature ‘Molara Ogundipe Leslie who also a pupil together with a player at the workshop.
Nigerian author Chinua Achebe together with Ghanian author Ama Ata Aidoo
Ama Ata Aidoo perceives herself equally a teacher, outset together with foremost, together with similar to learn her students almost other African women writers. "I remove hold 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 ever taught Marise Condé (Segú). In drama, I wouldn’t fifty-fifty displace 1 inch without teaching Efua Sutherland, especially 'The Marriage of Anansewa." I ever learn Nawal El Saadawi together with at that topographic point are a whole lot of other women (Frias 1998: 18-19).
Though venerated inward Europe together with the USA equally the initiatory African feminist-a fact that she somewhat resents together with long immersed inward gender issues-both at a personal, political, together with literary level- Aidoo soundless 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 somebody protagonists: People say to me: “Your women characters seem to hold upward stronger than nosotros are used to when thinking almost African women”. As far equally I am concerned these are the African women with whom I was brought up. In price 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 inward 23 March 1940 at Saltpond inward the Central Region of Ghana. She grew upward inward a Nkusukum (sub-ethnic Fante group) purplish household equally the dear immature lady 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 4 sons soundless considers herself “infertile” because she could non remove hold whatsoever daughters, together with where women are supposed to remove hold the authorization but non the powerfulness to rule-Aidoo’s (for some) progressive portrayal of African women is but a reflection of what she saw: “I got this incredible
birds-eye sentiment of what happens inward that guild together with I definitely knew that existence a adult woman is enormously of import inward Akan society” (Wilson-Tagoe, 2002: 48).
In tandem with Fantes favoritism for women, women teaching is non joked with with at all equally 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 1 somebody but if you lot educate a woman, you lot educate a whole nation.” even with this quote the master copy states “. . ., if you lot educate a woman, you lot educate a family”).
Ama Ata Aidoo with Prof Wole Soyinka.
In describe with the Fante tradition, immature Nkusukum princess Ama Ata Aidoo had her basic teaching at Saltpond together with afterwards, was sent past times her manlike somebody parent to Wesley Girls' High School inward Cape Coast from 1961 to 1964. The headmistress of Wesley Girls' bought her her outset typewriter. After leaving high school, she enrolled at the University of Republic of Ghana inward Legon together with received her Bachelor of Arts inward English linguistic communication equally good equally writing her outset play, The Dilemma of a Ghost, inward 1964. The play was published past times Longman the next year, making Aidoo the outset published African adult woman dramatist.
She worked inward the U.S. of A. of America of America where she held a companionship inward creative writing at Stanford University. She also served equally a inquiry beau at the Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, together with equally a Lecturer inward English linguistic communication at the University of Cape Coast, eventually rising at that topographic point to the seat of Professor.
Aside from her literary career, Aidoo was appointed Minister of Education nether the Provisional National Defence Council inward 1982. She resigned after eighteen months. She has also spent a groovy bargain of fourth dimension teaching together with living abroad for months at a time. She has lived inward America, Britain, Germany, together with Zimbabwe. Aidoo taught diverse English linguistic communication courses at Hamilton College inward Clinton, NY inward the early on to mid-1990s. She is currently a Visiting Professor inward the Africana Studies Department at Brown University.
Ama Ata Aidoo sitting downwardly with her colleague Kenyan author Ngugi Wa Thiong’o, the famous author of Weep Not Child novel. Courtesy Nana Kofi Acquah.
Aidoo's industrial plant of fiction peculiarly bargain with the tension betwixt Western together with African world views. Her outset novel," Our Sister Killjoy", was published inward 1977 together with remains 1 of her most pop works. In "Our Sister Killjoy", Aidoo is concerned generally with the estrangement of the African educated class. Sissy, the main character, is offered a grant to have a European
education. Her journeying into the W chronicles dissimilar aspects of her resistance to the overriding ideological hostilities that remove downwardly Africa together with African people.The novel is divided into 4 parts. “Into a Bad Dream” relates Sissie’s go sense to Germany. She is secure inward her racial background, together with exclusively progressively over the itineraries of her ‘westbound mobility’ does she
acquire witting of her color complexion. In “The Plums,” Sissie discovers Marija, a novel German linguistic communication friend. Marija is entangled inward boredom together with straight off gets caught within the exotic Other ‘the black-eyed squint’ pupil stands for. In the course of instruction of their friendship, Sissie finds out Marija’s perverted behaviors, rejects her lesbianism together with leaves her inward frustration together with total disillusionment. In “From Our Sister Killjoy,” Sissie moves to London, the colonial majuscule which brings dorsum into her
hear the whole tale almost the British colonial sense inward Ghana. She appears to hold upward 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 inward a mock-conversation with 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 inward her dialogues. Aidoo invests her woman somebody characters with the powerful tool of speech. Her African women brand utilization of words equally weapons to the extent that they tin flaming easily together with intelligently fustigate men’s egos together with vanquish them dialectically /metaphorically, at the same fourth dimension gaining the honor of the other sisters inward the community.
Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 bye hug
Students together with faculty colleagues bid bye to Ghanaian playwright Ama Ata Aidoo. Credit: Mike Cohea/Brown University
Furthermore, inward 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 equally 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 price equally “flabberwhelmed”, “negatively eventful”, together with “away matches” violate measure English linguistic communication inward 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 ever confl ictive run across betwixt African together with Western cultures. Maybe this is the ground why precisely about of her woman somebody protagonists also undergo a physical together with emotional journeying that is painful together with traumatic, though ever instructive together with regenerative. Aidoo deals with 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 somebody protagonist, Aidoo’s women are much to a greater extent than inward command of their bodies together with minds together with they tin flaming ever 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 with together with struggling against social norms together with cultural disintegration equally good equally with 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 inward post-colonial African fiction Femi-Ojo (1979), Adepitan (1993/94)-does non hitting /affect Aidoo’s heroines. Only inward the illustration of Anowa did Aidoo contemplate the possibility of her protagonist ending upward insane, but she idea it also 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 spousal human relationship together with motherhood, at the same fourth dimension equally 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 industrial 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 hear together with it’s phenomenal seem inward her literary industrial plant which remove hold so shaken upward the really foundations of literature inward Republic of Ghana together with Africa.
Traversing her life from the inception of her fine art to its explosion, the documentary gives quite a bright insight into the cultural, societal, together with familial influences that, inward many ways, were the inception of the groovy literary hear that was Ama Ata Aidoo’s.
Yaba Badoe (right) together with Ama Ata Aidoo inward conversation at the AWDF African Women inward Film Forum
In the documentary, Ama Ata Aidoo remembers stories her woman parent used to tell her inward the early on mornings inward 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 purplish nascency 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 inward Wesley Girls High schoolhouse who gave a immature Ama Ata Aidoo her outset typewriter after she expressed the ‘crazy’ wish to hold upward a writer.
Her fourth dimension inward Takoradi was precisely about other pivotal instant inward Ama’s life where she participated inward a Christmas story contest running inward the Daily Graphic at the time.
Her story was published, which turned out to hold upward a milestone for her, existence the really outset of her function 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, equally good equally self-introspection, into the really controversial issues Ama Ata Aidoo was fearless to heighten inward her works.
She says quite bluntly of controversy, “How tin flaming you lot telephone holler upward yourself a writer, if you’re running away from controversial issues?” And so controversial issues at that topographic point were:
The contemporary Ghanaian adult woman battling the stereotype. Talking almost the grapheme Esi inward her novel Changes inward the documentary, Ama Ata Aidoo shared the numerous accusations readers made of her, “She’s cold”, “She’s selfish”, “She’s non a expert mother”, etc. together with inward her blunt together with matter-of-fact way, Ama Ata Aidoo reminds all outraged sensibilities that this world is non exclusively for the warm, the unselfish, together with expert mothers.
Ama Ata Aidoo receiving honour at the fifth anniversary of African Women Development Fund
The dark concern 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 inward telling the story of Ama Ata Aidoo’s words together with their universal truth. In deliberate juxtaposition, Yaba Badoe together with Amina Mama exhibit scenes from the functioning of ‘Anowa at the University of California , Santa Babara, inward conjunction with Ama Ata Aidoo reading the words of the play. I uncovering what this did for me equally a viewer was a play on the really dissimilar ways inward which her Ama’s words could hold upward interpreted inward the dissimilar voices that were employed. Reading (and acting) a department of Anowa which recounted what her grandmother said to her almost places she’d been to, Ama Ata Aidoo’s vocalism was motherly, together with softly censorial, equally is usual of a Ghanaian grandmother to her eager together with curious grandchild. The African American actress, Erin Pettigrew, said those really same words with all the weight of a painful history of which she was a resultant of. Where ‘places’ was a thing of pitiable together with painful wonder inward an older Ama Ata Aidoo’s voice, ‘places’ inward immature Erin’s vocalism had a band of desperation together with an exuberant, tearful anger together with indignation. Where Anowa would remove hold been interpreted equally a pitiable 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 inward that timeless play. “Ghanaians remove hold ever been nervous of the presence of the Diaspora here,” Ama Ata Aidoo says.In interviews almost the play included inward the documentary, the many factors which mightiness remove hold influenced the mindscape of Ama Ata Aidoo equally she wrote Anowa are examined: She existence a Ghanaian author inward the U.S. of A. of America of America inward 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 inward the themes together with allegory probed into inward Anowa.
African Writers luncheon with 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 almost 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 equally authentically Ghanaian equally possible which informs her really unique trend of speech, using uncomplicated words inward symbolic ways, really much similar the proverbial spoken communication of Ghanaian local languages.4. Her phenomenal function Our sis Killjoy together with her hints on the topic of lesbianism inward 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 with it because she disapproved.5. Her function equally the Minister of Education, the unapologetic chauvinism of parliament together with how it interfered with her writing. She spoke really candidly, equally is her style, of how inward Cabinet, when the men spoke, everyone treated it equally important, but when she began to speak, “suddenly, those who were smokers would lite a cigarette, others would all of a precipitous wish to top notes” together with such inward the typical, chauvinistic agency with which most Ghanaian men process women, leaders or not. Even worse, was how her function equally a author was interfered with 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 practise non accept the attribution that they ought to accept together with this is why nosotros ought to hold upward proud of this documentary, inward this most provocative medium,” Prof. Esi Sutherland said inward her spoken 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 acquire something universal.
My exclusively qualm was that at that topographic point was really piffling shown of the groovy 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, existence treated inward an American academy was a powerful agency of showing that the relevance of Ama Ata Aidoo’s function had gone beyond the Ghanaian shores, Ghanaian schoolhouse children who read her function equally prescribed literature, teachers of all levels who learn her work, were also scenes I felt needed to hold upward included.
This would remove hold added groovy perspective inward telling almost the national legend Ama Ata Aidoo is for us equally Ghanaians.
On the whole however, the documentary is outstanding inward portraying how Ama Ata Aidoo has acquire 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 acquire a cosmic figure, non precisely inward Ghanaian, African or African American literature, but Literature equally a whole.
By: Nana Akosua Hanson/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Ama Ata Aidoo existence hugged past times beau author Wole Soyinka at an lawsuit inward Accra, ninth July celebrating his 80th year
Picture Credit: Kobina Graham
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