Nana Araba
What do you think is the most significant barrier to women empowerment and/or gender equality today?
I think in Ghana the most significant barrier is… the leaders. Most of the leaders in Ghana are men and they don’t think a woman is capable of handling big responsibilities. As an interdisciplinary designer, I can’t count the number of times I’ve been questioned as to whether the work I put out is work I actually designed myself. Being a female designer alone is very shocking to a lot of people.
OK, tell us all about yourself. Who are YOU & what should the world know about you?
My full name is Nana Araba Folson. I’m 23. I spent most of my childhood in England (to be more precise I stayed in a little town called Chingford). In 2008, I moved to back to Ghana - the transition was quite difficult. I had to adjust and understand that in [Ghana] there was a whole new way of thinking, of talking, and of carrying yourself; you couldn’t talk back to your elders, even if you were right. You couldn’t use your left hand to talk or to pick things or to give things to anyone else that was rude. You couldn’t speak up, basically, you had to always filter your words in your head before it came out.
I believe I was always a creative person but moving back to Ghana, school was always about books. I remember for most of my life I had to ‘chew and pour’ which means I had to memorize everything in a text book word-for-word just to be able to pass an exam, but to be honest I couldn’t always remember and I didn’t do that well in school. Actually, I started not to like school very much because of it. I was always the one who liked to do practical things - those things were the things that stuck with me. Anyway fast forward to when I went to secondary school, I studied Graphic Design, can’t say my dad was to happy about it, especially because before I actually got into secondary school the plan was to study Science but when I actually got there I thought to myself “why not study something I actually enjoy doing?”
It was still a hard course but I loved it. Then when I went to university, I decided I wanted to continue learning about design, it was also a good experience but to be honest I taught myself most of what I use now. My lecturers would always give us assignments to do without actually teaching us how to use the software, so I actually sat down, went onto YouTube mostly and taught myself. In about my second year (or almost my second year), I started thinking about ways I could make my own money and not have to rely on my parents for money (especially because I’m the first born of 4 girls)! So I started charging little amounts to do flyers for parties and logo designs. Eventually, more and more people asked me to do things for them, it help me financially and it also helped me become better at what I do.
In my third year, I started thinking about how could I impact others so I started a paint class for kids. I don’t run it often even though I do want to (it costs quite a bit of money) but it’s definitely something I intend on doing more of in the future, I’ve worked with quite a few brands now and I’m looking forward to working with even more brands/ companies in future. My goal is to help women especially in Ghana in the art industry make a name for themselves and to use art to be their own entrepreneurs.
Describe yourself in one word: "I am... Creative
What are you most passionate about and what are you doing with that passion?
I’m most passionate about Art. I create ideas and post them, and I help startups with their brand guides, and design for companies. I’m a freelancer full-time but I also have a full-time job at a bank at the moment.
What are some of the most notable events (milestones) that have happened in your life to date?
I started a paint day for kids. I’ve been able to work with quite a few companies. Through my art, I met Iddris Sandu.
What obstacles have you faced and overcome?
I would say depression has been my biggest obstacle but I used therapy, prayer, meditation and art to work on it.
Looking externally into the public sphere, what female public figure inspires you the most to achieve your dreams & why?
Mabintu Korle, Alex Wolf, Oprah, Michelle Obama. There are so many.
What's your definition of success?
Success to me means majority positive impact. You can only be successful when you’re positively impacting a majority amount of people. To me that’s when I know I’m doing something right. I mean, and of course, money too!
How have the women and girls around you helped you to get to where you are today?
The women around me especially my mum have shown me that working hard doesn’t kill, and making money for yourself is the best thing. She constantly motivates me. Knowing that I have three younger sisters has also been something that sits at the back of my mind all the time. I want to be an example to them to show them that hard work pays off.
Complete this sentence: "To be a girl or woman today, is to be..."
The future, the next generational leaders, the risk takers.