I’ve been discriminated against many times because I’m black —Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond

Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond is a Ghanaian-American writer and fashion-lover. Named among 39 of the most promising African writers under 39, she is the co-founder of the made-in-Ghana outerwear line ‘Exit 14’ and the author of the novel ‘Powder Necklace’. In this interview by KINGSLEY ALUMONA, she speaks about her Ghanaian-American experience, about African literature and politics, and about her fashion line..

You are a Ghanaian-American. How did you feel when your parents sent you to Ghana as a teenager for your secondary school education?

Growing up in 1980s America, I was ashamed of being from Africa. News reports of the Ethiopian famine and advertisements featuring children suffering from kwashiorkor were universalised as the situation across Africa, while the U.S. government was preaching assimilation of immigrants into one (White) American identity. So, I was not amused when my parents tricked me into a three-year stint in Ghana. I missed my parents, and my schoolmates bullied me. But living in Ghana, from ages 12 to 15, made me realise my Ghanaian heritage gave me much to be proud of.

You studied Political Science and Africana Studies. How did you stumble into writing? How has Political Science influenced you as a creative?

I have always written. As a kid, when we’d go to family friends’ parties, I’d hide in a bedroom, writing. When my parents sent me to school in Ghana, once, after some dorm mates terrorised me to lonely tears, I remember lying under my mosquito net thinking: “This would make an interesting story.” By university, I knew I loved to write, but my parents wanted me to pursue a degree that guaranteed financial stability. I went in thinking: I would be a Biochemistry major. But, then, I took a Political Science class and just loved writing the assigned papers. I would stay up for hours mulling over the right words to frame my argument, and I could knock out a 15-page paper with ease. In my second year, on my birthday, my sister gave me a journal. She told me, “You know you can be a writer, right?” After that year, I diverted from Biochemistry and focused on Political Science and African Studies. I figured I could be a civil-rights lawyer and write lengthy legal briefs.

Your debut novel ‘Powder Necklace’ tells a story of a young London-born girl growing up in Ghana. Briefly tell us about the writing and publishing processes of the novel.

I started ‘Powder Necklace’ as a memoir, but I felt limited by the specifics of my story. At the time, I didn’t want to get bogged down by the political realities of my experience. (I lived in Ghana from 1990 to 1993 when it transitioned from the military dictatorship of Flight Lieutenant Rawlings to his democratic election as president.) I knew many Ghanaian children born around the world who’d been sent home, so I decided to fictionalise the story. So, it wasn’t about me but the feeling of displacement from everything you know to be true about who you are, and how you survive that at the most sensitive time in your development as a person. It took four years to find a literary agent for the book. But when I did, she sold it to Simon and Schuster in two months.

Forces that ensured victory for Dapo Abiodun’s APC in Ogun

You once said “Chibok has changed the way I will write about Africa.” What do you mean by that?

Studying Political Science and Africana Studies, I started understanding that perpetuation of stereotypes about African-Americans was linked to the same myopia about Africans and Blacks around the world, and that these stereotypes were instilling the lie that we’re inferior to Whites. I became focused on dismantling this idea. I wanted people to know, yes, there is poverty, disease, inconsistent access to drinking water and electricity, and poor infrastructure in Ghana, but there is also wealth, joy, and ingenious workarounds to challenges. After Chibok, I realised it wasn’t my job to make White people see Africa(ns) differently. I had to interrogate the negatives—corruption, poverty, incompetent governance, et al—that contributed to the Boko Haram crisis victimising these girls, and many other boys, women and men.

You have visited Nigeria a couple of times. What is your impression of the country?

I loved my experiences in Port Harcourt in 2014 and Lagos in 2018. I’m smitten by the general outspokenness in Nigeria and how it plays out in Nigerian art and life. I see the challenges too. In Africa’s biggest economy, it’s frustrating to watch hawkers hustle tchotchkes. I met university graduates driving Uber because they couldn’t find work or had to supplement paltry incomes. It saddened me that it wasn’t safe to walk freely in certain areas. Overall, I felt inspired. I made sure to get a multiple entry visa so I can return.

As the opening speaker of the 2015 TEDxAccra, what was your TEDx talk about?

My TEDx Talk was about identifying the ‘protagonists’ of Africa’s next chapter: i) Innovators inventing creative solutions to challenges; ii) Whistle-blowers exposing corruption; iii) Diasporans seeking to do more than send or flaunt dollars/Euros/pounds; and iv) Wild cards—Africans with special needs, orphans, the extremely poor, and others who can effect positive change if equipped instead of dismissed.

In what way do you think literature has contributed to the ‘Africa Rising’ movement?

Literature by Africans/about Africa has introduced people who can’t/don’t travel to the continent to some of the ways we live, some of our histories, and some of our philosophies. It has helped chip away at stereotypes and inspired other storytellers to add their take and experience of African life.

Tell us about the fashion line ‘Exit 14’ you co-founded.

Exit 14 is a made-in-Ghana apparel brand. My mother, sister and I started it to spotlight the genius of African textile artisans, and so we could wear Ghanaian cloth in winter. Everyone who sees us in Exit 14 has nothing but compliments, and it’s been exciting introducing customers to batakari, the woven textile native to Ghana’s northernmost regions.

As a Ghanaian-American, what is the one thing you love about Ghana and the one thing you love about the U.S.?

In Ghana, I belong—that is, until I show up wearing batakari in non-traditional ways, or open my mouth. In the U.S., it’s “easy” to live, but there are plenty of challenges too. They include racism, and the isolation that comes with a culture that worships money/work over spiritual development and family/human connection.

Have you been discriminated against in the U.S. because of your skin colour?

I have been discriminated against often, in blatant and subtle ways. As I get older, I’m realising that because I don’t come from a legacy of being Black in America through slavery, Jim Crow, and the Civil Rights movement, I don’t always recognise racism even when it is cutting me off at the knees.

Would you recommend Ghanaian parents in the diaspora to send their children home to spend their formative years?

I don’t recommend it unless the parents go and live with their kids. I think children fare best when their parents raise them.

You once hinted about a book you are currently writing. What is it about? Apart from writing, what other jobs do you do?

I have a few book projects in progress, all of which explore migration and displacement. I also work as a copywriter.

What is your greatest challenge as a creative?

As a writer, my greatest challenge is time. I long for more time to create. As a Black/African writer, I resent the pressure to translate myself for White publishers and readers.

What advice do you have for young people, especially the female ones, who are aspiring to be like you?

Do not be like me. Be who God made you to be. Every human has specific gifts and perspectives that position us to uniquely impact the world. If we develop them and ourselves to the fullest potential, we’ll accomplish more than we ever imagined.