Profile
Focus on Ghanaians in the Diaspora …meet Jason Bempong & Mary Nkrumah
To celebrate the contribution and achievement of personalities across various sectors, we turn attention this week to the Diaspora to tell the stories of two Ghanaians who are excelling in their respective fields, as captured by the Ghanaian American Journal.
They are Jason Bempong, a Ghanaian-Canadian artist and Mary Nkrumah, an entrepreneur making waves with her local cuisines abroad.
Jason Bempong
He is the creative director of local brand, Sleepless Mindz. The brand name, according to him, came up in 2013 when he found himself “sketching and working and then looked at the clock to realise it was four in the morning.”
Like many children of Ghanaian descent, he developed a deeper understanding of his heritage as he grew up. He learned how to draw from his father, who always kept a sketchbook around.
Throughout his childhood, he began noticing African patterns and designs worn by members of his community while attending church and family events and later learnt to appreciate the history behind eye-catching patterns.
He attended high school briefly in Ghana as a teen before settling abroad. According to him, designing the jerseys had enabled him to “come full circle and give life to what he has learned about his [Ghanaian] culture.”
Drawing inspiration from the Kente for the clothing line, he incorporates the red, yellow, green, and black colours of the Ghana flag in his designs.
“Black is for spiritual power and maturity, Yellow represents royalty and prosperity, Green for renewal, growth, and harvest, and Red represents lifeblood, passion, and strength,” he explained.
He was recently part of the opening ceremony of the Vancouver Mural Festival, a non-profit agency dedicated to artistic and cultural development, and has designed the first-ever Black History Month jersey for the Vancouver Canucks, the professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, Canada.
Bempong says the artistic project represents what this team, city, and the people stand for. Sleepless Mindz has about 777 collections including T-shirts, long sleeves and hoddies displayed on its website.
“Follow your dreams, don’t give up. Stay sleepless and keep following the vision when people doubt you,” he says and hopes to inspire other people.
Mary Nkrumah
She was born into an entrepreneurial family. Her grandma sold kenkey while her mother was a successful baker and also a produce seller. She inherited her entrepreneurship traits from these two women in her teenage years.
“All the children would like to come to my house to play because of the food. When they come to my house, they can get bread. And we were always making fun stuff together,” she recalled.
In her teens, she set up a rice stand and later opened her own restaurant in Ghana called Oceanview Garden Restaurant in her adult life.
She got married to Jonathan Roberts, a Mount Saint Vincent professor who specialises in West African History, and later relocated to Canada to join her husband.
Mary’s desire, before moving to Canada, was to have her own restaurant. However, she got there heavily pregnant and had to spend weeks and months babysitting.
“I got denied a lot but finally we got my visa on the fourth try. I had the baby two weeks after I arrived in Nanaimo,” she said.
After welcoming their second child, Mary and her husband moved, once again, to Halifax and sent off resumes to a number of local businesses to gain culinary experience.
In 2012, she launched Mary’s African Cuisine as a stand at the Seaport Farmers Market in Halifax and followed it up with the launch of Kicks Café.
Her journey to owning a restaurant in Canada was tough as coups in the 1980s, somewhat disrupted her business.
“Flour was so expensive and was not common so, it was only bakers who were allowed to have flour. We had to wait for someone to check the bread before we could sell,” she recalled.
She again faced challenges while operating her restaurant at the Seaport Farmers Market. In 2015, managers of the market wanted to move her food stand and other ethnic food vendors from the first floor to the second floor.
The market, however, rescinded its decision to move them upstairs but they were asked to sign a $1,500-a-month lease, triple of what they used to pay.
After three years, she moved out and acquired another Café in 2018, which a year later reopened as the well-patronised restaurant with the same name they used.
“We’re nowhere near where we wanted to be. My wife works like crazy just to survive. The ones who survive are the ones who sacrifice their lives to keep the place open,” Mary’s husband, Roberts, said.
By Spectator Reporter
Profile
Prisca Abah: Ghana’s modelling powerhouse
Ghanaian model, philanthropist and advocate, Prisca Abah, who is known for her contributions to the fashion industry, is strutting her stuff on higher levels.
She was recently selected as one of the models for the Big8 Girls Project, an initiative by Clinton Samuel to celebrate influential African models.
The project consisted of three episodes: the Bio Shoot which highlighted Abah’s professionalism through a corporate-themed photoshoot; Afrodeity which focused on showcasing her confidence and artistry, celebrating the African divine feminine and royalty which presented Abah as a symbol of African cultural pride, embodying strength and elegance.
The Big8 concept, produced by Clinton Samuel, intentionally highlights and celebrates the strongest and most influential models on the African continent, congratulating their steadfastness and contributions to the African fashion industry, even as they grind and win in other aspects of life.
The Big8 sets hierarchy and high standards in the African fashion and modelling industry, crowning eight of them with the ‘Top Model’ status as the leading female models in Ghana at the moment.
“Working with these fiery women will surely ignite more creative minds and stir the pot of positive competition,” said Clinton.
Abah’s early life and career
Prisca Abah began her modelling career in 2013, achieving her first notable milestone in 2014 with an editorial shoot for 5-Star International Modelling Agency. In 2015, she made her runway debut at the Ghana Fashion Awards.
From 2016 to 2018, Abah participated in major African fashion events such as Glitz Africa Fashion Week, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Johannesburg, and Rhythms on the Runway.
During this period, she received accolades, including the “Best Female Model of the Year” and spoke as a UN Ambassador for Sustainable Development Goal 12 at the Sustainable Rice Platform Conference.
International recognition and pageantry
In 2022, Abah expanded her reach by entering the pageantry world. She placed as the first runner- up at the Beauty of Africa International Pageant and represented Ghana at the Miss Globe World Finals, where she earned the title of Miss Globe Africa 2022.
Philanthropy
Abah founded the Palins Foundation, a non-profit organisation, aimed at empowering women and youth through initiatives in education, skills training, and personal development.
Awards and collaborations
In 2023, Abah received the Best Model of the Year award at the Time Ghana Arts and Entertainment Awards. She has collaborated with leading designers such as Charlotte Prive and Ejiro Amos Tafiri, further solidifying her influence in African fashion.
Legacy
Prisca Abah is recognised not only for her contributions to the fashion industry but also for her philanthropic efforts. Her journey serves as an inspiration to young Africans, encouraging them to pursue their dreams while giving back to society.
By Edem Mensah Tsortorme
Profile
Juventus Duorinaah, Ghana’s first deaf Lawyer
In a landmark moment for Ghana’s legal landscape, Juventus Duorinaah Esq., has etched his name in history as the country’s first lawyer with a hearing impairment.
His journey from a humble background to breaking barriers in the legal profession serves as a powerful inspiration for countless individuals in the disability community, proving that determination and resilience can defy societal expectations and create pathways to success.
For Juventus, the recognition as Ghana’s first deaf lawyer feels surreal.
“It feels like a dream,” he reflects, acknowledging the stereotypes surrounding deafness and the humble background from which he hails.
Juventus’ passion for law sparked in 2008 while seeking admission to the University of Ghana (UG). Although he initially faced challenges due to the nature of the application process, the help of his older brother and his determined spirit led him to pursue a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2012, followed by a Master of Laws at Cardiff University in 2014.
His passion for the study of law became highly intense when he had to study alongside qualified lawyers from several jurisdictions, even though he did not have a legal background. Here, he faced the unique challenge of studying without sign language interpreters, relying instead on a palantypist to transcribe lectures.
Juventus’ role model was his professor and mentor, Professor Luke Clement, who profoundly inspired him in shaping his understanding of law and human rights.
He remembers Prof. Thomas Stephens from the University of Ghana School Of Law, who inspired him with his way of dressing, in-depth knowledge of the law and engagement with students.
He recounts the enormous challenges he encountered during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, when lectures moved online, and Dr Stephen’s tremendous support to ensure things moved quickly and smoothly for him.
“I also had the chance to have a few classes with the Dean himself, Prof. Raymond Atuguba. He taught the course such that some of us never felt scared as other lecturers made the course,’ he recalled.
Juventu’s academic journey was fraught with challenges, particularly in communication.
The year 2007 was the last time he studied with deaf peers. He was often the only deaf person in his classes throughout the following years of his education, which made interaction with peers difficult.
Despite these hurdles, he remained high-spirited, studying late into the night and seeking help from kind classmates when necessary.
Reflecting on his academic experience at UG, he connected his affection for the university to his older brother, who is also an alumnus. He felt inspired to be a student of the premier university, saying he would choose the University of Ghana any time, any day, if given the chance to further his studies or work.
The University Of Ghana School Of Law, along with its Dean, Professor Raymond Atuguba, the Director of Legal Education of the Ghana School of Law, Yaw Bramiah Oppong, and his capable team, including the Registrar and Deputy Registrar of the Ghana School of Law and the Office for Students with Special Needs (UG), made significant contributions to his journey.
Prof. Atuguba acknowledged Juventus’ achievement as evidence of the university’s commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
Commenting on how the school accommodated his special needs, Prof. Atugugba explained that ‘In the case of Juventus, we worked closely with him to understand and address his special needs, ensuring he had access to the teaching and learning resources in the appropriate formats that would support his academic journey.
Professor Atuguba noted that Juventus’s journey is just beginning, and the future holds promise for him and the many lives he aims to touch along the way.
Juventus’s close friend, Ida Esi McOwusu Esq., described her first encounter with Juventus as ‘intriguing.’ “My first meeting with Juventus was in class, where he sat right in front of me in first year,” Ida reveals. She was intrigued and wanted to find out more about him, especially how Juventus navigated his way to this level. “I got closer and we became friends from there,” she remarked.
Mr Francis Kweku Essel, Juventus’ interpreter, shed light on the primary challenges he faced in carrying out his job, particularly the complex nature of legal terminology and concepts. This validates Ida’s comment on the interpreters’ lack of legal background as a challenge Lawyer Duorinaah encountred.
Juventus dreams of becoming a judge and aims to enhance justice delivery while serving as a role model for young people with disabilities.
He is currently mentoring a group of young deaf students interested in pursuing law, hoping to pave the way for future generations. What’s next for Lawyer Juventus? His next step is to complete his pupilage, after which he can decide further his legal career.
