Apiorkor Seyiram Ashong-Abbey

Living in Ghana, where oral literary traditions are intertwined with culture and history, Apiorkor Seyiram Ashong-Abbey performs within West Africa's most sophisticated spaces. The author of The Matriarch's Verse, her work is noted for its rare prosaic nature and sharp, vivid imagery.

Ashong-Abbey's performances are varied and animated as she reads her pieces in performance, rather than deliver them from memory. She injects life into poetry with classical, Afro-pop, reggae and rock music, contemporary dance and alternative art. Her poetry concert, "The Matriarch's Verse," remains Ghana's largest poetry event hosted by an individual artist, featuring more than 12 supporting acts and attracting an audience of more than 1,000 people.

Ashong-Abbey is a production executive at Accra-based Citi FM/Citi TV and the host of Diplomatic License on Citi TV, which features diplomats who work in Ghana and focuses on the nonofficial aspects of their lives and the culture of their home nations. She is also an editorial advisor for The InfluencHER Project, an editorial program and global community seeking to empower and amplify female voices. At Africa6 News, she leads a team of young Africans towards reclaiming the African narrative from Western media.