Angelina, the ‘Akwaaba’ photo icon, honoured at GACAA

Angelina Nana Akua Oduro, the model in the iconic Akwaaba photo which has gained worldwide recognition as the face of Ghana’s hospitality and tourism industry for more than two decades, has been honoured at this year’s Golden Age Creative Arts Awards(GACAA) held in Accra.

This comes as a result of a feature report by TV3 to locate the iconic model in the famous Akwaaba calendar made in the 1990s when she was in her teens.

She was eventually discovered by TV3’s George Kwaning as a 40-year old mom with two kids, living in obscurity without any royalties or recognition for her iconic image.

Angelina re-emerged in the media after the featured report by TV3 to garner adequate support and appreciation from the Ghana Tourism Authority and the necessary stakeholders for her image that has been synonymous with hospitality and tourism for more than two decades.

It was this impetus that has prompted the prestigious Golden Age Creative Arts Awards (GACAA) to honour her for her iconic contribution to the tourism and hospitality industry “before anyone does it”.

Speaking at the award ceremony, media personality and tourism advocate Gilbert Abeiku Aggrey, popularly known as Abeiku Santana, said “this story is just recent and the moment we saw the story, we felt like: no let’s do it before any other award organizing body do it so we are grateful once again Angelina Nana Oduro, thank you so much, this the first time the public is seeing you but we’ve used your image for so long”.

For her part, the Executive Director for National Commission on Culture, Edna Nyame, said, “when you come to my home, where the television is, her iconic photo is hanging there, her image is everywhere, it’s all over but unfortunately, she is not known. Personally, I’m also happy today that she is coming out and I believe it’s the beginning of greater things to happen to her. Congratulations and we believe that this objective will be achieved, to meet the President”.

Ms. Oduro expressed her gratitude for the award by saying: “I feel very good, I thank God for how far he has brought me, I feel so proud that I’m been recognized. I’m grateful for TV3, it has really gone far, I’m grateful”. 

Mr. George Kwaning, the TV3 reporter who did the feature report, was awarded for his tenacity in finding Ms. Oduro to be duly recognized and rewarded for her iconic contribution to the tourism industry.

He said his aim for the story is for Ms. Oduro to meet President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to acknowledge her.