Amma Darko

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Amma Darko (2004)

Ophelia Amma Darko (born June 26, 1956 in Koforidua ) is a Ghanaian writer .

Life

Darko studied at the University of Kumasi (Ghana) and obtained her diploma there in 1980. Then she worked at the university's technology advisory center. In 1981 she went to Germany and applied for political asylum. In Hildesheim she earned her living as an unskilled worker. These experiences flowed into her first novel. In 1988 she was able to return to Ghana. She lives in Accra with her family and works in tax administration.

Her novels give a well-founded insight into everyday life in Ghana. Amma Darko's first novel, “The Dream Sold”, is set in Germany. It has also been relocated in Germany. Her novel, "The Faceless" (2003) is the first to be published in Ghana.

In “The Smile of the Nemesis” the reader encounters some people and institutions from the previous novel. One of the central figures, Aggie, works in the non-profit association MUTE, the aim of which is to create a culture archive and an alternative library. Aggie's mother has a mental disorder and is sent to a prayer camp where she is doing very badly. Idan, Aggie's husband, begins an affair with the very young Randa.

"Between Two Worlds" was published in English in 2015 and has not yet been translated. Two worlds collide in the novel: A Ghanaian and a German fall in love in Germany in the 1960s. Many years later, the couple's adult twin daughters are confronted with information about their parents' marriage failure. The reader experiences the situation from different angles. He learns how the man grew up in the British colony of Gold Coast and the woman in post-war Germany. The novel also has a spiritual dimension. The twin theme plays an important role, as does the traditional Akan religion in Ghana with fetish and clan priests, libations and drums. As in all of Amma Darko's novels, her humor shines through again and again through the serious subject. The locations are Germany and the Gold Coast colony / Ghana.

The author's first book for young people was also published in 2015. This book links the legends of the traditional Ananse story with the experiences of the orphan girl Obiba in today's Accra. Obiba comes into possession of a collar in which the ancient traditions are miraculously locked. The main character of these stories is the cunning Kweku Ananse, a spider man. The Ananse or Anansi sagas are part of the traditional treasure trove of the Akan people in Western Ghana. They found their way to the Caribbean and other countries in the course of the transcontinental slave trade. The Ananse stories, each of which contains a wisdom, are also popular in Europe. The book is the first in a series.

Works

  • The maid . two short stories. Translated from the English by Anita Jörges-Djafari. Butterfly publishing house, Stuttgart 1999, ISBN 3-89657-121-4 .
  • The sold dream . Roman, translated from English by Carmen Baerens. Butterfly publishing house, Stuttgart 1991, ISBN 3-89657-140-0 .
  • Cobwebs . Roman, translated from English by Anita Djafari. Butterfly publishing house, Stuttgart 1996, ISBN 3-926369-17-5 .
  • Lost heart . Roman, translated from English by Anita Jörges-Djafari. Butterfly publishing house, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-89657-119-2 .
  • The faceless ones . Novel. Translated from the English by Anita Jörges-Djafari. Butterfly publishing house, Stuttgart 2003, ISBN 3-89657-126-5 .
  • The Nemesis' smile . Roman, from the african. Engl. Trans. by Kirsten Esser. Butterfly publishing house, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 3-89657-130-3 .
  • Between Two Worlds . Roman, Sub-Saharan Publishers, Accra 2015, ISBN 978-9988-647-93-3 .
  • The necklace of stories . Book for young readers. elbaol verlag hamburg , Meldorf 2019, ISBN 978-3-939771-74-6 .

literature

  • Vincent O. Odamtten: Broadening the Horizon. Critical Introductions to Amma Darko. Ayebia Clarke Publ., Banbury 2007, ISBN 978-0-9547023-8-0 .
  • Eva Claudia Schwark: Illness, Healing and Stigmatization: A Gender-Sensitive Analysis of Amma Darko's "Not Without Flowers". AV Akademikerverlag, Saarbrücken 2013, ISBN 978-3-639-47512-8 .
  • Petra Leitmeir: Amma Darko - Intercultural Literature in Germany. GRIN Verlag, Munich 2007, ISBN 978-3-638-69200-7 .

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Darko, Amma
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Darko, Ophelia Amma (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Ghanaian writer
DATE OF BIRTH June 26, 1956
PLACE OF BIRTH Koforidua , Ghana