President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has paid tribute to the late Ama Ata Aidoo, acknowledging her numerous accomplishments and their impact on Ghana and Africa.
After a brief illness, Professor Ama Ata Aidoo, who made significant contributions to African literature, passed away. Her writing talents went beyond the realm of fiction and into the realms of poetry, theatre, and essays. Prof. Ata Aidoo impacted generations of African women authors with her award-winning novels, plays, short tales, children’s literature, and poetry.
In a tweet on Friday, June 2, President Nana Akufo-Addo paid respect to Aidoo and offered his sympathies to his children and family.
“I heard of the news of the death of Ama Ata Aidoo with sadness and sorrow,” he said.
“Through her work, she made a tremendous contribution to the development of our country and continent, and expressed so many of our feelings about our fate as Ghanaians and, indeed, as Africans.”
“We will miss her; the continent and the world will miss her. She had a reach that was beyond Ghana. May her soul rest in perfect peace until the Last Day of the Resurrection when we shall all meet again. Amen,” he added.
Prof. Aidoo, who was born on March 23, 1942, in Abeadzi Kyiakor, in the Volta Region of Ghana, became famous for her novel “Our Sister Killjoy” and the play “Anowa.”
She influenced many people across many decades with her writing about gender roles, African identity, and post-colonialism.
Prof. Ama Ata Aidoo’s contributions to the literary world have been widely lauded, and she has received several awards and honours for them.
Her novel, “Changes,” won the 1992 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best Book in Africa. In 2018, she was honoured for her lifelong contributions to Ghanaian and African writing by receiving the prestigious Ghanatta Award for writing.
Besides all of her published works, Prof. Aidoo was an enthusiastic educator and supporter of women’s rights. She taught at Ghana’s University of Cape Coast and advocated for the country’s academic and cultural communities.
