Who Are The Helpers?
Before I became Chair of Busia Foundation International (BFI), I asked myself, “Who are the helpers?” Who are the people who champion various causes? Who is worthy, or willing to do so? Many times if you encounter a gathering under such auspices as: “The Southern Poverty Law Center” or “Mothers Against Drunk Drivers” enquiry into the lives of the leaders of the particular group, will reveal they have been directly affected by the atrocity or injustice they are fighting to eradicate: The loss of a child at the hands of a drunk driver; or the wrongful incarceration of a loved one, due to racist presumption and lack of defense funds.
Helpers who have not been directly affected (whether personally, or via a friend or relative), by the atrocity or injustice they seek to right, are often persons who have been raised in a culture of giving and sacrifice – children of parents who set a high example of helps to the disenfranchised, without necessarily having undergone the same misfortune.
As Chair of Busia Foundation International, I fall under the latter category; hailing from two parents whose lives were dedicated to the betterment of mankind.
Busia Foundation was founded by my late mother; Mrs. Naa, Morkor, Busia, in honor of my late father; Dr. Kofi Abrefa Busia, who became the first black man in history to attend University College Oxford, England, and who later became Prime Minister of Ghana. He was best known for his passionate defense of Democracy (One man One vote!), in a time when dictatorships were becoming the norm: His appeal for honesty, especially in the work-place, in order to end corruption, one man at a time; And his call for “Dialogue” and sanctions, rather than arms, to bring down apartheid; and Quality Education for All – he believed Education to be the great opportunity equalizer, for both Male, and Female.
It is with this mandate, that along with my mother and sister, Dr. Abena Busia, we founded Busia Foundation International. In my father’s words: “For only in giving and spending ourselves do we truly live.”
About Akosua…
Akosua Busia was born into the Yefri Royal House of Wenchi in Ghana, West Africa. She is the youngest daughter of former First Lady, Mrs. Naa Morkor Busia and the Right Honorable Dr. Kofi Abrefa Busia, former Prime Minister of Ghana. Akosua has a dedication to truth through art, and is possessed of a deep faith in Christ that imparts hope, dignity and elegance to her life and work, befitting her heritage.
A multi-talented artiste, Akosua was dubbed ‘a genius’ from early childhood, and has grown to be a well-known actress (Nettie; The Color Purple), novelist (The Seasons of Beento Blackbird), screenplay writer (Adaptation of Toni Morrison’s; Beloved), poet/Song-writer (Moon Blue, sung by Stevie Wonder), director (The Prof), and public speaker. Inspired by her mother’s vision, along with sister, Dr. Abena Busia, Akosua is Co-Founder and Chair of Busia Foundation International.
Raised on four continents, traveling over forty-two countries, Akosua schooled in Holland, Mexico, Switzerland, and Great Britain. In Los Angeles, California, Akosua caught the attention of Producer Quincy Jones and director Steven Spielberg, who cast her in the watershed role of Nettie in the Color Purple. After the completion of the film, Akosua settled in Los Angeles for many years, before returning to her native Ghana.
Akosua currently divides her time between her homes in Ghana and the United States. She has one daughter, Hadar Busia-Singleton, from her former husband, director John Singleton. Akosua has just completed the role of Rita ‘Ma Peace’ in the highly acclaimed, Broadway Play Eclipsed, written by Danai Gurira, directed by Liesl Tommy. Amongst its numerous nominations and awards, Eclipsed was nominated for 6 Tony Awards, 5 Outer Circle Critics Awards, and garnered Akosua an Obie Award for Best Ensemble Cast.
Click here to learn more about Akosua.
