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Ghanaian production goes global …Kuukua Eshun premieres ‘Born of the Earth’ in America
● Kuukua Eshun
Kuukua Eshun is a Ghanaian-American creative who splits her time between Ohio and her home Accra. Inspired by emotions and femininity, she raises awareness about social issues and mental health through her writing and film making.
As a Multi award-winning filmmaker, her strong visual storytelling ability has led to a very successful career in the last couple of years.
Her Film ‘Artist, Act of Love’ won an award at the Worldwide Women’s Films Festival for Best Visual Effect and has attracted 14 international award nominations. Her films have been screened at many Academy Award-Qualifying Film festivals around the world.
Recently, she directed a short film for the Grammy nominated album “Made In Lagos Deluxe” by the super star Wizkid, a Grammy award winning artiste, the first of its kind from the African continent.
Her documentary “Unveiling” which touches on sexual assault against women was recently commissioned by the ANO Institute of Arts & Knowledge and was first shown at the Museum Ostwall Im Dortmunder U in Germany.
Following these success stories, she is now set to premiere her new film, ‘Born of the Earth’ at Norwest Gallery in Detroit, Michigan, USA. The film had earlier been premiered recently at the DAK’ART Biennale in Dakar, Senegal.
The DAK’ART biennale is considered the biggest African contemporary art festival in the world where a few talented black artists get invited to network and showcase their work as a form of celebrating African art.
It is uncommon to see an African woman filmmaker, at a young age, succeed in both the film and art world whiles remaining inspirational and authentic but Kuukua is making it happen.
“This film, ‘Born of the Earth,’ takes us on the journey of what it means to explore freedom and acceptance.
“For so many years, black people, especially black women, have been told that we’re not enough. It is time to take our power back. Changing the narrative means understanding your true value,” she told The Spectator ahead of the premiere.
“The film is a beautiful visual representation of what it looks like to be black and proud. Black women are the blueprint. Blackness comes in so many layers. Diversity and inclusiveness are elements that will be recurrent,” she added.
The Norwest Gallery premiere scheduled for July 23 to August 23 would not be the first time Kuukua has premiered her film in Detroit. In 2019, her film “Artist, Act of Love” was screened in Detroit as part of the ‘Re:pulica’ festival.
As part of the premiere, there will be a talk show also about the film and the inspiration behind Kuukua’s works.
“The premiere will be a part of an exhibition titled; “Pray for Us” which is curated by Bre’Ann White, whose mission in life is to uplift her community and give a voice and platform to the limitless power and beauty of the black experience through photography and high-end creative direction,” The filmmaker noted.
Like most of her projects, Kuukua says her “films embody the creation of a distinctive visual language that takes direction from the flows of lyrical sources of writing.”
“This creates visual masterpieces that are bred from intimate explorations of the subject at hand – be it the person at the heart of the story, the topic of discussion or a feeling,” she explained.
Kuukua is the founder of ‘Filming as Woman’, a female led production company based in Ghana. She has worked with Roc-nation, Vic Mensa, Wizkid, Huawei, Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, Variety Magazine, Michaela Coel, Lifetime TV, and The Economist, among others.
As an African woman who believes in changing the narrative and letting her voice be heard, she has spoken at Ohio State University, University of Cincinnati, Ghana international School and many other platforms.
Kuukua recently, collaborated with United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) Ghana to hold a healing session for young women who are survivors of sexual assault.
She is also the co-founder of an organisation that provides education to the youth of Jamestown in Accra. With the partner of the NGO she co-founded, they have given young children the possibility to go to school in Jamestown.
Kuukua is also the co-founder of another Non-governmental organistion (NGO) which is the first all-female skate crew in Ghana. As a co-founder of the Club, her goal is to create a safe space for women in sports on the continent.
Undoubtedly, this young filmmaker can be described as a powerhouse who continues to tell stories that matter through her art and work.
By Spectator Reporter
The professor who spends his days exploring the intricacies of African languages found himself at the centre of a different kind of lesson on Friday, October 2, 2026. 
This time, there were no lecture notes, academic arguments or university classrooms. Instead, there was the weight of tradition, the rhythm of a community celebration and the solemnity of an oath at a royal palace.
Professor Ọbádélé Kambon, a full Professor of African Linguistics at the University of Ghana, was enstooled as Apagyahene and Sunsum Ɔsahene of Akuapem Mampong in the Eastern Region in a ceremony that brought academia and traditional authority together.
For the professor, the occasion was more than a new title. It was a moment that connected his academic interests in African languages and indigenous knowledge with the living traditions of an Akan community.
The day’s events unfolded through a series of customary observances. Kambon was first taken to the compounds of the Ɔkyeamehene and Gyasehene, where the preparations for his installation continued.
Then came the application of hyire, the white kaolin powder associated with traditional rites.
With the customary proceedings underway, the new chief was lifted onto the shoulders of celebrants and carried along the main thoroughfare of Akuapem Mampong.
The procession transformed the streets into a public stage for a ceremony rooted in the community’s traditional institutions.
There was something striking about the image, a university professor, accustomed to the measured language of academic discourse, being carried through the town in a display of traditional recognition.
Yet the celebration was not complete with the procession.
A ram was sacrificed at the Mamponghene’s compound before Kambon was taken to the palace, to swear the oath associated with his new offices.
The ceremony brought him formally into his roles as Apagyahene and Sunsum Ɔsahene.
Beyond the colourful proceedings, the titles themselves carry layers of historical meaning.
Kambon in his research explores the historical connections between Apagya and Akan political and military organisation.
Accounts cited in his work linked Apagya to an asafo, or military company, while historical writing traces an Apagya stool in Asante to the reign of Opoku Ware I in the eighteenth century.
These historical associations offer a glimpse into the institutions that have shaped Akan society over generations, although they do not automatically define the precise responsibilities of the office in Akuapem Mampong.
Kambon’s own professional life reflects a similar interest in preserving and examining African knowledge.
His work encompasses Akan language structure, naming practices across the Black world, proverbs and indigenous intellectual traditions.
Through Abibitumi, the platform he founded, he also promotes language learning, scholarship and cultural engagement.
But tradition was only one part of the story that day.
When the formal ceremony gave way to a reception, the occasion expanded into a celebration of three milestones: Kambon’s enstoolment, his promotion to full professor and his daughter Ama’s admission to the University of Ghana.
The gathering therefore carried a personal significance that went beyond the honours bestowed on one man. 
It celebrated professional advancement, the continuation of family aspirations and a connection to cultural heritage.
For a father, seeing a daughter gain admission to the same university where he holds a distinguished academic position offered another reason to celebrate.
For the professor, the moment placed family achievement alongside his own professional and traditional milestones.
Kambon had already established a place in the traditional life of Akuapem Mampɔn through an earlier installation as Banmuhene Kyidɔmhene, recorded in 2017.
His latest enstoolment adds another chapter to that relationship.
In Akuapem Mampɔn, the day brought together the university, the palace and the family table in one celebration. And for Kambon, the journey from the lecture room to the traditional procession showed how scholarship, cultural responsibility and family achievement could converge in a single memorable occasion.
By Enoch Ntiamoah Siaw
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Intercity STC Coaches Limited has interdicted a driver captured in a viral video allegedly hitting a Sprinter bus during an overtaking manoeuvre at Pokuase before driving away from the scene.
In a public notice, the company described the driver’s conduct as unacceptable, stressing that it did not reflect the safety standards and professionalism it upholds.
Management said it had commenced an immediate investigation into the incident and identified the driver, who has been interdicted pending the outcome of the disciplinary process.
The company added that it was awaiting an official report from the Pokuase Police Command to help establish the facts surrounding the incident.
STC reaffirmed its commitment to passenger safety and responsible road use, while thanking members of the public for bringing the incident to its attention.
Management assured the public that appropriate action would be taken following the investigation.
By: Jacob Aggrey
