This article was originally written for This is Africa by Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah, AWDF’s Communications Specialist
The single most influential writer in my life has been Maya Angelou. In many ways she is the reason why I am who I am today. Reading her autobiography gave me the freedom to believe that I can be whoever I want to be, I can excel in any area of life that I choose to focus on, and I can do all that whilst having a good time. I remember clearly the first book of hers that I read, “All God’s Children Need Travelling Shoes”. I was living in London at the time and would regularly browse through the ‘black books’ section at bookstores looking for a book to grab my attention. On that particular day, her book grabbed my attention. I read the blurb and flipped through the pages. I was curious. I could see my country Ghana reflected. I bought the book and read it in a day. At the time, that was the 5th book in her series of autobiographies. I went back to the bookshop and bought every other book of Maya’s. I became even more inspired. She was a visionary woman of many talents. A writer, poet, revolutionary, dancer, actress, chef, professor…
Many things about Maya Angelou’s life made an impression on me. I remember reading about her going to bars as a single woman, buying a drink and always making sure to leave a generous tip for the bartender. That’s something that has stayed with me. Maya loved freely and passionately yet was not scared to walk away from a relationship that no longer met her needs. That’s another lesson that has stayed with me. Maya was self-taught. Growing up in the racist South of America she didn’t have the privileges that many of us take for granted, yet she didn’t let any obstacle hold her back. I remember that ahead of one particular job interview she had, she went to the library and thoroughly researched the area she was seeking to work in, even though it was a field she had no prior knowledge of. That’s a lesson that has always stayed with me.
One of my life goals was to meet Maya Angelou. I am saddened that I won’t be able to do that here on Earth yet I am comforted by the fact that she lived a full life, and in the knowledge that she documented her stories for all of us to benefit from.
