Christina Ama Ata Aidoo is an author, poet, playwright, and academic who was born on March 23, 1942, in Abeadzi Kyiakor, a town in the Central Region of Ghana, close to Saltpond. She has established herself as a renowned African novelist of the 20th and 21st century thanks to a spectacular career spanning more than five decades.
The publication of Aidoo’s debut play, “The Dilemma of a Ghost,” in 1965 marked the beginning of the real growth of her creative career. This significant accomplishment allowed her to establish new ground in the arts by making her the first published African woman dramatist.
She became an even more important literary figure after winning the renowned Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for her book “Changes” in 1991. Aidoo has contributed greatly to the development of educational policies in Ghana in addition to her creative ability.
Under Ghanaian President Jerry Rawlings, she held the position of minister of education. Aidoo wanted to provide free education to all Ghanaians throughout her time in office, but she ultimately decided to leave her post after 18 months because of the difficulties she encountered.
What are the major works of Ama Ata Aidoo?
Ama Ata Aidoo’s notable works:
- The Dilemma of a Ghost (play), Accra: Longman, 1965. New York: Macmillan, 1971.
- Anowa (a play based on a Ghanaian legend), London: Longman, 1970. New York: Humanities Press, 1970.
- No Sweetness Here: A Collection of Short Stories, London: Longman, 1970. New York: Doubleday.
- Our Sister Killjoy: or Reflections from a Black-eyed Squint (novel), Longman, 1977.
- Someone Talking to Sometime (poetry collection), Harare: College Press, 1986.
- The Eagle and the Chickens and Other Stories (for children), Enugu: Tana Press, 1986.
- Birds and Other Poems, Harare: College Press, 1987.
- An Angry Letter in January (poems), Coventry: Dangaroo Press, 1992.
- Changes: a Love Story (novel), London: The Women’s Press, 1991. New York, Feminist Press at the City University of New York, 1993.
- The Girl Who Can and Other Stories, Accra: Sub-Saharan Publishers; Heinemann African Writers Series, 1997.
- Diplomatic Pounds & Other Stories, Ayebia Clarke Publishing, 2012.