Origins & Early Life

Ama Ata Aidoo (23 March 1942 – 31 May 2023) was a Ghanaian author, poet, playwright, politician, and academician. She was the Secretary for Education in Ghana from 1982 to 1983 under Jerry Rawlings's PNDC administration. Aidoo's first play, The Dilemma of a Ghost, was published in 1965, making her the first published female African dramatist. As a novelist, she won the Commonwealth Writers' Prize in 1992 with the novel Changes.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

In 2000, she established the Mbaasem Foundation in Accra to promote and support the work of African women writers. Christina Ama Ata Aidoo was born on 23 March, 1942 in Abeadzi Kyiakor, near Saltpond, in the Central Region of Ghana. She was initially called Christiana Ama Aidoo. Some sources ( including Megan Behrent, Brown University, and Africa Who's Who) have stated that she was born on 31st March. She had a twin brother, Kwame Ata.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Aidoo was raised in a Fante royal household, the daughter of Nana Yaw Fama, chief of Abeadzi Kyiakor, and Maame Abasema. Her grandfather was murdered by neocolonialists, which brought her father's attention to the importance of educating the children and families of the village on the history and events of the...

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