Nana Ama Adu-Kwapong
Journalist and author, Nana Ama Adu-Kwapong, has unveiled her book titled “Beyond the Green Pastures” in Accra.
The 75-page book shares stories of migrants navigating love, loss, and heartbreak in London.
Speaking to dignitaries at the launch, Nana Ama Adu-Kwapong said while studying in the UK, she presented a dissertation on the nature of work being done by skilled migrant women which later influenced the writing of her book.
“During my research, I realised that a significant proportion of Ghanaian women I interviewed had higher education qualifications from Ghana but were working in areas completely unrelated to what they studied and were using very little of the skills they had acquired through their studies. This led to several suboptimal cases of a skills mismatch,” she said.
The outcome of the research, she stated, got her interested in finding out more about people’s motivation for leaving their countries of birth to live elsewhere and their experiences in their host countries.
Ms Adu-Kwapong said, ‘Beyond the Greener Pastures’, seeks to give a voice to the lived experiences of five Ghanaian old school friends who migrated to the UK for varying reasons and touches on various themes, including how the overwhelming majority are quick to compromise their faith when faced with choices affecting their stay overseas.
Ms. Adu-Kwapong indicated that life as an illegal migrant, especially in the West is full of anxiety, financial hardships, and various challenging circumstances that can only be fully appreciated through lived experience.
“Travelling overseas should be a very well-researched and planned decision, especially considering the current economic challenges that most nations, including countries in the West, are grappling with,” she advised.
BY Prince Fiifi Yorke