Ama Ata Aidoo

Ama Ata Aidoo (born March 23, 1942) is a Ghanaian author and playwright who was born Christina Ama Aidoo in Abeadzi Kyiakor. She grew up in a Fante royal household and was sent by her father to the Wesley Girls' High School in Cape Coast from 1961 to 1964. After graduating, she enrolled at the University of Ghana in Legon and received her bachelor of arts in English as well as writing her first play, The Dilemma of a Ghost, in 1964. It was published by Longman the following year.

Aidoo's works of fiction particularly deal with the tension between Western and African world views. Many of her protagonists are women who defy the stereotypical women's roles of their time.

She is also an accomplished poet and has written several children's books. She also won many literary awards, including the Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best Book in 1992.

Aside from her literary career, Aidoo was appointed Minister of Education in 1982. She resigned after 18 months. She has also spent a great deal of time teaching and living abroad for months at a time. She has resided in America, Britain, Germany, and Zimbabwe. Currently she is a Visiting Professor in the Africana Studies Department at Brown University.

Works

• Anowa (a play based on a Ghanaian legend; (1970)
• No Sweetness Here: A Collection of Short Stories (1970)
• Birds and Other Poems (1988)
• The Girl Who Can and Other Stories (1997)
• Our Sister Killjoy (1977)
• Changes: A Love Story (novel; 1991)
• The Dilemma of a Ghost (1965)
• Someone Talking to Sometime (a poetry collection)(1986)
• An Angry Letter in January (poems; 1992)
• The Eagle and the Chicken (1986)

Sources

• full-text, searchable works from Black Drama database
• AIDOO, Ama Ata International Who's Who. accessed September 1, 2006.
• Ama Ata Aidoo - Her Story on BBC World Service