Arts & Culture
Wednesday, September 08, 2010Interview with Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond, author of “Powder Necklace”
by Jacqueline Adams, Africa.com Board of AdvisersShare this article:
Now 32, Ms. Brew-Hammond is part of a growing, vocal group of “Afropolitan” authors and artists, determined to record the story of Africans and black people in the diaspora from their own perspective. Up to now, she said, “the African story has almost always been told from ‘other’ peoples’ perspective.”“Powder Necklace” has won critical acclaim. The New York Times reviewer said, “Brew-Hammond’s colorful descriptions of Ghana and emotionally honest style capture the reader’s attention from the first page.”
The Philadelphia Tribune said, “As Brew-Hammond chronicles the seminal years of a teenage girl caught in a global shuffle from London to Ghana to the United States, she deftly explores themes of community, loneliness, culture and assimilation.”
Brew-Hammond is now researching a second book and sees her work as part of a continuum of her favorite authors, Nigerian writers Buchi Emecheta and Chinua Achebe as well as American Janet Fitch.
Emecheta’s “The Joys of Motherhood,” Brew-Hammond said, tells of African womanhood and motherhood that are unsentimental and thoughtful. Tangentially, her book is a history of Nigeria after colonialism ended and how it affected interpersonal relationships.”
Achebe’s “Man of the People” gives another perspective on Nigerian independence. Brew-Hammond called the book “a hilarious love story and a satirical look at corruption.”
Fitch’s “White Oleander” was eye-opening for Brew-Hammond because, she said, it showed that perfection was out of reach even for white people – that mothers have tremendous power in a daughter’s life, regardless of their colors.
“I like being part of a community of voices telling new stories – African writers, black writers, women writers,” Brew-Hammond said. ”I want people to know that Africa is a diverse place. I want people to know that our stories are not just sad stories – stories of war or children dying of AIDS or malaria. Africa is not a dark continent that needs to be saved. Too many of our own leaders have set policies in motion that have kept people down. But now, we need right those wrongs.”
In addition to her writing and her day job as content provider for a retail website, Brew-Hammond is helping to produce a New York City discussion series in collaboration with Global News Service. Called New Directions, the series will explore Africa “with a focus on literature, music, art, film and the industries behind them.”
“We're calling the series New Directions,” said Brew-Hammond, “because we hope to engage new voices -- those of Africans, African-Americans, Afro-Europeans, Caribbeans, and people of African descent anywhere else they might be - in the discussion of African culture.”
Such discussions might be complicated, Brew-Hammond admitted, but in the aftermath of the South Africa’s successful hosting of the World Cup matches, “the world is ready to learn about today’s Africa. And Africans should no longer be afraid to hear dissention.”
“My generation has the opportunity to police globalization – to fix the flaws of the past. Our ‘leaders’ should no longer take kickbacks and ‘the people’ should no longer take bribes to vote for someone.”
The political is personal for Brew-Hammond.
“Growing up in Queens, New York, I was embarrassed to be from Ghana, but now I’m proud of where I come from. I want young people to not have to feel what I did.
I love America. We can speak freely here. You can come and go and no country is like it. If I had been born in Ghana, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity or the confidence to speak my mind.”
Brew-Hammond continued, “I do have pride in what Ghana has survived and where we’re going. I want to move the conversation forward and invite African children who are also Dutch or Brazilian or American to celebrate their African culture.”
To see and hear Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond discuss “Powder Necklace,” go to Youtube.
You can purchase “Powder Necklace” on Africa.com's store.
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