By Rebekah Awuah
Ghana’s finest female Television Personality Rebekah Awuah has been elected the new Secretary to the Arts and Tourism Writers Association of Ghana – ATWAG. A body that seeks to promote arts, tourism and culture reporting in Ghana and beyond, developing the professional capacity and the welfare of its members while promoting cooperation and collaboration among its members and players in the arts, tourism and culture value chain.
Rebekah, whose journalistic career spans over a decade, won the elections with a 96.8% popular acclamation vote from ATWAG members, making her the first woman to hold such an enviable position.
Rebekah Awuah is not new to the industry. She is an experienced Arts, entertainment and Tourism writer and host who understands the language in that circle. As a Cultural, Arts and Tourism Advocate, Rebekah received her professional Training at the School of Performing Arts at the University of Ghana; Legon. She was one of the best and brightest in Dance, Music and Theatre Arts, partaking in every major student Production. She was a first Class student and won the best documentary student Award for her final year film class. She also aided and Production managed “WATER” another award-winning documentary for the 2008 /2009 Academic year in Legon.
With an enviable feat over the years in Storytelling, Video, News Writing, Reporting and Presenting, Rebekah possesses a strong Media, Communication and Research Skill.
Rebekah is famous for her high journalistic standards and has covered several major news events around the world and worked on countless entertainment, Arts and Tourism stories in Ghana and beyond which remain relevant and continue to receive airplay on Ghana Television. For her outstanding reporting and passion for features and documentaries, she has won every major broadcast award. In 2013 Rebekah Awuah was nominated for the prestigious Multi-Choice CNN/ Africa Journalist and was highly recommended for her story “African Drumming & Dance”.
Rebekah is a four-time Ghana Journalists Association – GJA Arts, Entertainment and Domestic Tourism Awards in 2013, 2014 and 2015 and 2016. She also received the Best Business Tourism Award in 2017 from the Institute of Financial and Economic Journalists – IFEJ. Rebekah is currently a Television News Editor, Anchor, Content developer and the originator of current Affairs program, the Reporters Round Table –the first of its kind within the Ghanaian Media Landscape.
In an interview, Rebekah said “I am grateful for the trust reposed in me by the fraternity and the mandate to serve. I am certain with humility and inspiration of God we will work together as a team to serve members and our motherland-Ghana. “Culture and creative industries are a central part of Ghanaian development policies, with the government committed to strengthening the capacity and capability of the sector to promote development. It is in light of this that the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategies emphasised creative industries as potential sources for employment generation, wealth creation and skill development.”
“The development of a vibrant creative arts industry has become a necessity in a digital and technological world for inclusive economic growth’’. We need a scaling-up as an industry in all areas, to make the sector extremely visible and the private sector can be involved for competitiveness and productivity. This is what I bring to the table and to the solid team of executives to see how we can work together with stakeholders in the industry to make it fly while promoting and seeking the welfare of our members. The bigger picture certainly depends on the smaller one. When the business in the Arts and tourism sector is booming, members get at ease and contribute collectively to the greater picture.”
Rebekah holds a Leadership Certificate in Public Management; University of Wisconsin – Madison (U.S.A), an LLB (Hons.); GIMPA Law School and a First Class Radio/TV/Film/Video Production Major under the Theatre Arts Degree Program; University of Ghana. She also holds a Human Resource Management Certificate from the Institute of Commercial Management, England, and International Diploma in Computer Studies, Certificate in Broadcasting Techniques and Certificate in Public Relations, Marketing & Advertising from the Ghana Institute of Journalism.
Rebekah Awuah will be working together with Ghanaian broadcaster and host of Showbiz A to Z on Joy FM, George Nii Armah Quaye popularly known as ‘Aboagye” for his role in the GTV’s Taxi Driver series as President-elect. He takes over from William Asiedu, one time Editor at Graphic Showbiz and now the Heritage Newspaper, who together with other leaders worked hard to bring ATWAG to the fore. The Vice-President position was won by freelance radio and television host Livingstone Lotsu, known as Stone in showbiz Circles. Four years ago, Lotsu contested the same position but lost to Francis Doku, General Manager of TV3 and arts writer with Graphic Showbiz.
Hagar Gyebuwaa Owusu of the GBC News is Treasurer-elect of the Association, with Fashion designer, Adu Amani taking over from Mustapha Nii Okai Inusah, as the Organiser.
The Research Officer position for the next four years will be occupied by Stanley Awuku Wilson, a blogger while Citi FM’s Kwame Dadzie will be handing over to Entertainment Journalist Gloria Akpene Acquah aka MzGee as the Public Relations Officer.
The Arts and Tourism Writers Association of Ghana –ATWAG, elections were organised and supervised by the Association’s Electoral Committee led by Arts Writer, Osarfo Anthony. The newly elected executives will be sworn into office to begin their four-year tenure as stipulated by the Association’s Constitution, January 15, 2022