Dayan Kodua

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Dayan Kodua (2017)

Dayan Kodua (born September 7, 1980 in Ghana ) is an Afro-German actress with roots in Ghana.

Life

Dayan was ten years old when her family left Ghana in order to build a better future in Germany. She belongs to the tribe of the "Ashanti" (warriors). German became her second mother tongue alongside her Akan language Twi , and she later also mastered English and French. As a teenager she danced and sang a. a. for Chris de Burgh , Sasha , Lou Bega , Haddaway , Right Said Fred and a few others.

Soon she was modeling and in 2001 she became the first and so far only black Miss Schleswig-Holstein. Bookings for Thierry Mugler , Escada and Versace will follow. Then she began studying at the renowned coaching company in Berlin. She then trained at Howard Fine , Theater of Arts and Tasha Smith Studio in Los Angeles.

In America, Kodua got the chance to work in major US productions such as Boston Legal , Passions and in the movies Crank and Lords of the Underworld .

But she is also cast as an actress in Germany. She played with Balko in 2003 and with Dr. Molly & Karl , 2009 for Der Dicke and 2010 for Unter Verdacht . In 2011 she took on a speaking role alongside Hannes Jaenicke and Anne Will in the video game "AJABU - The Legacy of the Ancestors".

Dayan is a very committed supporter of charity projects. a. 2006 worked for the Michael Jordan Foundation on the catwalk at the House of Blues in Los Angeles with Angie Stone and Snoop Dogg . Dayan is also setting international standards for her homeland, Ghana: She is the patron of Ghana Aid. The Hamburg organization IMIC eV , which supports education for people with a migration background, is particularly close to her heart. In addition, she is a volunteer board member of the Licht für die Welt e. V. Germany .

Dayan has become a role model for Africans in Europe. She is the figurehead of a young, self-confident, successful black generation with a migration background. It was on the cover of the first issue of African Heritage in Europe.

Dayan, who was honored as a cultural ambassador for the African continent in Germany in 2005, is not afraid to be critical either. That is why she appeals to all young people born in Europe, especially in Germany: "Get involved, do not deny your origins, but do not blame every difficulty on your black skin color!"

She is the editor of the 2014 book My Black Skin: Schwarz. Successfully. German. In My Black Skin , 25 Afro-German personalities proudly show their dark skin. The protagonists from politics and business, art and culture, science and sport report on how they made it to the top. They are role models and show that, regardless of skin color and origin, you can achieve anything if you only believe in yourself.

Dayan had three premieres in 2019. On the one hand, she made her debut in the Hamburger Sprachwerk with the one-woman play "Hallo Ella" and on the other hand she played the silent title character Fenella in the opera Die Stumme von Portici in the Kiel Opera House . In November 2019 Dayan published her first children's book "Odo" with the German writer Jando .

Filmography (selection)

watch TV

movie theater

  • 2004: The Stoning
  • 2005: Lords of the Underworlds
  • 2006: In other Words (short film)
  • 2006: Crank
  • 2007: Meat is my vegetable
  • 2012: The elegant solution
  • 2016: THUG: True Hustler Under God

University and short films

  • 2009: guest room
  • 2009: Peripheral Desire
  • 2010: When trees carry dolls
  • 2019: My way to school in life

theatre

Others

  • 2008: Ajabu (computer game) - voice for five different characters.
  • 2008: CAINE 09 - Kartaan (radio play) - voice of Djamilla and sister Bagozi
  • 2013: Talk guest at DAS! Red sofa
  • 2013: Talk guest on the NDR Talk Show
  • 2014: Publisher: My Black Skin: Schwarz. Successfully. German. Seltmann + Söhne, Lüdenscheid / Berlin, ISBN 978-3944721002
  • 2018: Solo piece Hallo Ella . Producer (Hamburger Sprachwerk)
  • 2019: Children's book release: Odo (author and publisher)

Web links

Commons : Dayan Kodua  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ African World Stories , accessed February 12, 2017
  2. ^ Association and Board of Directors Light for the World , accessed on November 18, 2019
  3. ^ Website for the book , accessed on February 12, 2017
  4. ↑ NDR Hamburg Journal from January 25, 2019 , accessed on November 18, 2019
  5. ↑ Kieler Nachrichten of April 28, 2019 , accessed on November 18, 2019
  6. ↑ Press release Deutschmann Kommunikation dated November 5, 2019 , accessed on November 18, 2019
  7. ↑ filmography at Cast upload , accessed on November 17, 2019
personal data
SURNAME Kodua, Dayan
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Afro-German actress
DATE OF BIRTH September 7, 1980
PLACE OF BIRTH Ghana