Ayi Kwei Armah is a Ghanaian novelist known for his powerful prose and pan-African vision. He was born in 1939 in Takoradi, Ghana, a descendant of a royal family on his father’s side.
He had an early education at the Prince of Wales’s College, now known as Achimota School. He went to the United States on a scholarship, earning degrees from Harvard and Columbia. Despite his already rich background, Armah was deeply affected by his exposure to Western culture and radical politics, leading him to live as a writer and focus on African identity.
He has taught in many universities, written critical essays, and published several novels. His major works include The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born (1968), which exposes corruption; Fragments (1970), which reflects post-colonial Ghana; Why Are We So Blest? (1972), which critiques African leaders’ preference for European culture; Two Thousand Seasons (1973), which portrays the African history; The Healers (1978), which recreates the Akan society; and Osiris Rising (1995), which explores love and renewal in modern Africa. His works often intersect with themes of African identity, post-colonial struggles, and societal change.
Still on Ayi Kwei Armah
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