Essays in Honour of Ama Ata Aidoo At 70

Born near Dominase, in central Ghana, Aidoo is today the leading Ghanaian writer. She was the daughter of a chief and grew p in a royal family. Educated at the University of Ghana at Legon, where she graduated in 1964 with a B.A. in English, Aidoo worked as a Research Fellow at the Institute of African Studies in Legon.

Ghana's gaining its independence in 1965 greatly influenced Aidoo. Her writings reveal her interest in the historical events that have shaped her country. She believes that the status of women in Africa and the struggle for women's liberation cannot be distinct from the nation's struggles.

She made her debut as writer with a short story, "No Sweetness Here" (1965). The story had previously won a prize in a short-story competition. This story provides the title of Aidoo's first collection of stories. Aidoo is better known as a playwright, and her two earliest plays, Anowa (first published in 1970) and The Dilemma of a Ghost (first published in 1965) remain popular.

Aidoo has taught in several parts of Africa as well as the United States. She now lives and teaches in Harare, Zimbabwe.

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