A highly celebrated African academic, author, poet, playwright and feminist, Ghanaian Ama Ata Aidoo has died at the age of 81.
According to the family in a statement, Aidoo died on Wednesday, May 31, 2023, after a brief illness, requesting privacy to allow them grieve.
In a statement, her family said “Our beloved relative and writer” passed away after a short illness, requesting privacy to allow them to grieve.
The statement stated that the family of Prof. Ama Ata Aidoo announced with deep sorrow, “but in the hope of the resurrection, the death of our beloved relative and writer who passed away in the early hours of this morning, Wednesday 31st May 2023, after a short illness”.
According to the family head, Kwamena Essandoh Aidoo, the funeral arrangements would be announced in due course.
Christina Ama Ata Aidoo, who has a twin brother Kwame Ata, was born on March 23, 1942. She attended Wesley Girl’s Senior High School in Cape Coast from 1961 to 1964. She also attended the University of Ghana, Legon, where she obtained the degree of Bachelor of Arts in English.
She was appointed Minister of Education under the Provisional National Defence Council in 1982 and resigned after 18 months.
Her first play is The Dilemma of a Ghost published by Longman in 1964.
Her other works include Anowa (a play based on a Ghanaian legend), No Sweetness Here: A Collection of Short Stories, Our Sister Killjoy: or Reflections from a Black-eyed Squint (novel), Someone Talking to Sometime (poetry collection), The Eagle and the Chickens and Other Stories (for children), Birds and Other Poems, An Angry Letter in January (poems), Changes: a Love Story (novel), The Girl Who Can and Other Stories and Diplomatic Pounds & Other Stories.
