Lifestyle, Arts & Culture: Ghana Is Most Beautiful Because…
The African proverb which cautions to “judge not your beauty by the number of people who look at you, but rather by the number of people who smile at you”, has particular resonance this month as we explore lifestyle, arts & culture through the lens of Ghana’s foremost beauty pageant, Ghana’s Most Beautiful (GMB) 2020. This year’s competition, which began three months ago and whose finals are on Sunday, has whittled down the competition from 16 young women to now just six, with each of them representing one of Ghana’s 16 regions. Under the tagline “Uniquely Ghanaian, Exceptionally African”, the annual show, which has now entered its 14th year, is distinct in its ability to set the scene for viewers to fall in love with the charm, wit and wisdom of the women, their regions and even more broadly, the African continent. In keeping with the Ministry of Tourism Arts & Culture’s campaign to “See Ghana, Eat Ghana, Wear Ghana, Feel Ghana”, the pageant has provided experiential learning around a range of themes, such as domestic and regional tourism, indigenous festivals and fashion, while also forcing introspection of certain behaviours and cultural norms.
Matriarchs & Mentors
Living away from home for the duration of the contest in something of a GMB bubble to prepare for each week’s gruelling challenge, the female contestants have displayed high levels of tenacity and endurance. In trying to understand what has been the context for such strength, we spoke with the mother and aunt of finalist Naa Dedei Botchwey. A friend of Songhai, Naa, at the time of writing, was leading in the polls. It is apparent that faith, freedom and family have been key elements in enabling Naa to get this far. In a culture where there is a strong sense of propriety and perception, which at times inculcates a fear of stepping outside of the box – Naa’s mother - and therefore her style of bringing up her daughters - is of a different mould. Having made a conscious effort to close her ears to naysayers and rather, forge a close relationship with her girls, guided by her faith in God, Mrs Botchwey has always taught her daughters “to be confident” because that is what she believes it means to “train up your child the way [they] should go”. Mrs Botchwey, a primary school teacher who has specialised in teaching her mother tongue, Ga (the dominant language of the indigenous people of the Greater Accra Region), has clearly empowered Naa to enjoy the freedom to explore her purpose. She taught her children “to be proud of themselves and to be bold” and detected from an early age that Naa was “an all-rounder”; academic yet at the same time, loved performing arts, having auditioned for plays written by the Ghanaian household playwright, Uncle Ebo Whyte.
Having a safe space from which to operate is not just about the four walls of one’s home, but in an African context, is more about community. Naa’s aunt, affectionately known as “Aunty Joyce”, is a C-suite level executive, who has displayed the traits that every young woman needs from a female mentor. An influencer who is convinced that “Naa will use her platform to help others who are less privileged, especially in education”, leads and lives by example, by relentlessly opening the door and holding it open for younger ones to also enter the room. Celebrating such influencers and providing mentorship is precisely the ambition of Grace, Songhai Advisory’s newly-created “space” for bringing together African women passionate about transformation on the continent. It is also an endeavour of Elaine Cunningham Walker, educationist and the founder of The Sister Circle Summit, which provides women and girls with a “safe space” to tackle sometimes difficult issues.
Educate a Girl….
A number of the contestants have spoken of their desire to use their platform to ultimately help young women and girls by creating awareness around the need for quality, accessible education for all. Indeed, education exclusion is a real concern on the continent, with UNICEF highlighting that in the wake of Covid-19, close to 50% of children of schoolgoing age on the continent don’t have access to remote learning[1]. In a bid to reverse educational inequality, non-governmental organisation CAMFED has been working across the continent, including in Ghana, to provide greater access, training and resources, and recently received a USD130,000 grant from Prince Harry & Meghan Markle to support young women[2]. Ghanaian entrepreneur and software engineer, Farida Bedwei, is a remarkable example of a woman who has pushed through the barrier of inaccessibility as well as stigma and disability by co-founding fintech firm Logiciel which focuses on financial inclusion through tech.
Taste & See that Ghana is Good
The transmission of consumer education narrated by the contestants through imagery, sketches and dances, could not have come at a better time in some respects. In the midst of lockdown, when movement has been heavily restricted, it has been a welcome escape for viewers, who had been unable to travel abroad between March until 1st September 2020, when Ghana lifted its ban on international travel. Indeed, the fact that owing to Covid, Ghana has lost out to building upon the USD1.9bn in revenue earned from tourism last year resulting from the Year of Return (mostly from Diaspora and international travellers) according to the Tourism Ministry, opens up a great opportunity to appeal to the domestic traveller. Speaking with BraveHearts recently, a Ghanaian expeditions company which organises adventure tours in Ghana, over 70% of the business is now generated from domestic travellers.
Even with international travel restrictions opening up, the cost and rigour of the antigen testing process is likely to filter out a sizeable proportion of cross-border holidaymakers. Thus, locally-based tourism companies have a rare opportunity to pivot their marketing more towards the domestic market, which typically has not been the case. With the showcasing of places such as the Mole National Park in the Northern Region and the Wechiau Community Hippo Sanctuaryin the Upper West Region, GMB has brought, quite literally, Ghana’s biodiversity home. Immersive history lessons through creative expression around festivals such as the Asafotufiam Festival, to commemorate the victories of the Ada people, have also helped to revive a sense of national pride as have the vibrant colours and cuts of couture labels such as Dash Fashions.
To learn more about any of the themes touch on above or to find out more about Grace, please don’t hesitate to reach out at: questions@songhaiadvisory.com. We would love to hear from you!
[1]https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/covid-19-least-third-worlds-schoolchildren-unable-access-remote-learning-during
[2]https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/meghan-and-harry-donate-to-girls-education/