Female Roles in Ama Ata Aidoo's 'Changes' Anonymous College

In her novel Changes, Ama Ata Aidoo carefully portrays Esi, Opokuya, & Fusena as the prominent female roles and the different levels of oppression that they face in urban Ghanaian society. Given some of her accomplishments, it is apparent that Aidoo feels strongly about the roles of women in Ghanaian society and their ability to hold powerful positions and express their voices through writing. For example, in addition to becoming a well-known poet, playwright, and novelist, she was appointed as the minister of education in Ghana in the year of 1982. Although this position means a great deal for any individual who is appointed, this position held a higher significance for Aidoo, because she was the first woman to have the opportunity to gain this particular status.

Aidoo has also made significant efforts towards helping other women in her society to make rises in power by supporting the expression of their voices through writing. In the year 2000, she established Mbaasem, which means “women’s words,” to recognize the needs and voices of African and Ghanaian women. Not only is she the founder of this organization, but she currently serves as the executive director for Mbaasem. Aidoo admitted that she uses her skills in order...