Commonwealth Writers' Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 6 (1992) Winner
Ama Ata Aidoo
アマ・アタ・アイドゥー
Ama Ata Aidoo
Aliases:
Christina Ama Ata Aidoo / Christiana Ama Aidoo
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1942-03-23 （Abeadzi Kyiakor, Gold Coast (now Ghana)）
- Died
- 2023-05-31 （Accra, Ghana） age 81
- Nationality
- Ghanaian
- Languages
- English, Fante
- Residence History
- Ghana (birthplace and long-term residence) → Zimbabwe (lived and worked, education development) → United Kingdom (London, periods of residence and activity) → United States (fellowships, visiting positions)
Career
- Occupations
- author, playwright, poet, politician, academic, education administrator
- Active Years
- 1964-2023
- Affiliations
- University of Ghana, University of Cape Coast, Brown University (visiting professor), Mbaasem Foundation (founder)
- Memberships
- Organization of Women Writers of Africa (co-founder and co-chair), Ghana Association of Writers (chair of book festival)
- Influenced By
- Traditional Fante oral stories and oral literature, Postcolonial thought and Africanist intellectual traditions
- Influenced
- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (influenced a generation of African writers), Margaret Busby (editorial and publishing influence), Numerous African women writers (mentoring and community-building)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wesley Girls' Senior High School | — | — | — | 1957–1960（在学開始年は1957年） | Ghana |
| University of Ghana | Faculty of Arts | Department of English | Bachelor of Arts | 1961–1964（在籍） | Ghana |
Wesley Girls' Senior High School
Period:
1957–1960（在学開始年は1957年）
Year of Graduation:
1960
Country:
Ghana
Secondary education; credited with nurturing early interest in literature.
University of Ghana
Faculty of Arts
/ Department of English
Degree:
Bachelor of Arts
Period:
1961–1964（在籍）
Year of Graduation:
1964
Country:
Ghana
Studied English; wrote her first play while a student.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Mbari Club prize | "No Sweetness Here" (short story) | — | Mbari Club | 受賞 |
| 1987 | Nelson Mandela Prize for Poetry | Someone Talking to Sometime | 詩 | Nelson Mandela Prize (poetry) | 受賞 |
| 1992 | Commonwealth Writers' Prize — Best Book (Africa) | Changes: A Love Story | 小説 | Commonwealth Writers' Prize | 受賞 |
Mbari Club prize
1962
Work:
"No Sweetness Here" (short story)
Organization:
Mbari Club
Result:
受賞
Nelson Mandela Prize for Poetry
1987
Work:
Someone Talking to Sometime
Category:
詩
Organization:
Nelson Mandela Prize (poetry)
Result:
受賞
Commonwealth Writers' Prize — Best Book (Africa)
1992
Work:
Changes: A Love Story
Category:
小説
Organization:
Commonwealth Writers' Prize
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
The Dilemma of a Ghost
1965 Drama (play) 96 pagesAn early play addressing migration, tradition and family conflict; examines identity tensions in Ghanaian society.
tradition vs modernityfamilyidentity
Adaptations
- [Stage] The Dilemma of a Ghost (stage production) (1964)
- [Stage] The Dilemma of a Ghost (Pittsburgh production) (1988)
Anowa
1970 Drama (play) 80 pagesA tragedy based on a Ghanaian legend; through the protagonist Anowa it questions tradition, family, and women's roles.
women's autonomytradition and resistancefate and choice
Adaptations
- [Stage] Anowa (Gate Theatre production) (1991)
Our Sister Killjoy
1977 Novel 160 pagesA novel exploring the clash between Western and African worldviews; critiques colonialism, sexuality, and identity from the protagonist's perspective.
anti-colonial critiquesexual identitydiaspora
Changes: A Love Story
1991 Novel 192 pagesA novel about love and marriage in contemporary Ghana; sharply portrays the clash between traditional expectations and individual desires from a female perspective.
women's autonomylove and marriagetradition vs modernity
Bibliography
- The Dilemma of a Ghost (1965)
- Anowa (1970)
- No Sweetness Here: A Collection of Short Stories (1970)
- Our Sister Killjoy: or Reflections from a Black-eyed Squint (1977)
- Someone Talking to Sometime (poetry collection, 1986)
- The Eagle and the Chickens and Other Stories (children's book, 1986)
- Birds and Other Poems (1987)
- An Angry Letter in January (poems, 1992)
- Changes: A Love Story (1991)
- The Girl Who Can and Other Stories (1997)
- African Love Stories (editor, 2006)
- Diplomatic Pounds & Other Stories (2012)
Adaptations
- Stage production of Anowa (Gate Theatre, London, 1991)
- The Dilemma of a Ghost (Pittsburgh production, 1988)
- Documentary film The Art of Ama Ata Aidoo (directed by Yaba Badoe, 2014)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- feminist perspectivecolloquial and dramatic dialoguenarrative structured with postcolonial critique
- Recurring Motifs
- women's autonomy and resistancecollision of tradition and modernitydiaspora and belongingconflicts of love and marriage
Legacy
Ama Ata Aidoo was a central female voice in Ghanaian and Anglophone African literature; through feminist perspectives and postcolonial critique she influenced later generations. She supported African women writers via the Mbaasem Foundation and the Ama Ata Aidoo Centre for Creative Writing.
Museums
- Ama Ata Aidoo Centre for Creative Writing (Aidoo Centre) Adabraka, Accra, Ghana Opened in 2017
Academic Societies
- Ghana Association of Writers
- Recognized in African Studies and literary scholarship
Archives
- University of Ghana archives (holds related materials)
In Popular Culture
- Documentary film The Art of Ama Ata Aidoo (2014)
- Her plays included in international drama curricula (e.g., Cambridge selections)
Quotes
-
"Nobody could tell me writing was a man's job."
Source: Interview / literary profile (2016)
Trivia
- Considered one of the first published female African dramatists (The Dilemma of a Ghost, 1965).
- Had a twin brother, Kwame Ata.
- Died in Accra in 2023 and was given a state-assisted funeral.