By Kwame Aidoo

Five (5) of Ghana’s creative and cultural champions —Anita Erskine, Rocky Dawuni, Ibrahim Mahama, Wode Maya and Lady Dentaa Amoateng MBE, have received diplomatic passports to aid their work in fostering international cultural solidarity. The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa (MP), announced this on 17th September, at the launch of the 2025 Diaspora Summit, with the goal of buttressing the advocacy of Africa-diaspora connections, initiatives and narratives.

Citing the NLCD 155 (1967 Passports and Travel Certificate Decree), Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs encouraged travel vlogger Wode Maya, Grammy-nominated musician Rocky Dawuni, broadcaster Anita Erskine, artist Ibrahim Mahama, and cultural entrepreneur Lady Dentaa Amoateng MBE, to continue to “mobilise people of African descent across the world”.

^{L to R: Lady Dentaa Amoateng MBE, Ibrahim Mahama, Anita Erskine, Wode Maya, Rocky Dawuni and Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa (MP). Photo Courtesy: B2 Pixel Studios and The Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Ghana.}

Wode Maya (Berthold Kobby Winkler Ackon), born on 3rd March, 1990, is a travel vlogger and YouTuber with a background of aeronautical engineering. Ackon documents insightful Black spaces, politics and lifestyles and throws in captivating commentary for a broader general knowledge of cultures and traditions, while highlighting small to large scale businesses and positive change worldwide. 

Rocky Dawuni, born on 22nd January, 1969, is an “Afro Roots” pioneer, songwriter and record producer blending reggae, Afrobeat, highlife, and soul influences with ecological activism. Aside from having earned multiple Grammy nominations, Dawuni holds several humanitarian ambassadorships.

^{Cultural Diplomats and Officials with The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa (MP). Photo Courtesy: B2 Pixel Studios and The Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Ghana.}

Anita Erskine (Vered Anita Erskine), born on 3rd December, 1978, has over twenty years of expertise in Corporate Communications, Strategic Communications Management, and Television Content Development and Management, and over 300 global event hostings, Erskine’s work in boosting flagship programmes and projects that support youth in culture, women’s empowerment and pan-African dialogues is well valued globally. 

Ibrahim Mahama, born on 20th June, 1987, is a leading contemporary artist and founder of Savannah Centre for Contemporary Arts (SCCA), Red Clay and Nkrumah Volini in Tamale. Mahama makes large-scale assemblages with postcolonial remains or abandoned state infrastructure for local self-curated cultural institutions or exhibitions globally, to reflect on labour, migration, globalization, postcolonial trauma and economic inequality.

^{Lady Dentaa Amoateng MBE with Ibrahim Mahama. Photo Courtesy: B2 Pixel Studios and The Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Ghana.}

Lady Dentaa Amoateng MBE, born on 13th March, 1983, is a British-Ghanaian cultural entrepreneur, lover of football and founder of the GUBA (Ghana UK-Based Achievements) Awards and GUBA Enterprise. In 2006, after getting “The Dentaa Show” underway on a British channel, she went on to open doors as GUBA’s founder in 2009, with dedicated public-spiritedness for advancing diaspora African and local African socio-economic initiatives.

^{The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa (MP). Photo Courtesy: B2 Pixel Studios and The Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Ghana.}

“I have been able to negotiate, a lot of Visa waiver agreements particularly for holders of diplomatic passports, so they would not require Visas to a lot of the places that they have to travel to, and the enhanced diplomatic status would also give them what they deserve to carry out their good works in the name of the African people.”, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa (MP) clarifies. This comes after the 6th May, 2025 cancellation of 701 diplomatic and service passports following the fact that holders of the said documents refused to return them.  

Former political ambassadors, ministers, functionaries and their dependents, businesspersons, religious and traditional leaders, who were no longer serving in official roles were affected. The ministry acknowledged the compliance of 407 holders of diplomatic and 403 holders of service passports, who heeded the directive and duly returned their documents. In over 50 years, Ghana’s foreign diplomacy has not been reviewed, and the current government says it aims to put together an economic diplomacy blueprint.

^{L to R: Kofi Okyere-Darko (Diaspora Affairs, Office of the President ), Anita Erskine, Wode Maya, Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa (MP), Lady Dentaa Amoateng MBE, Rocky Dawuni and Ibrahim Mahama. Photo Courtesy: The Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Ghana.}

Though some have denounced the move, calling it a pathway for commodification of symbolic politically formal resources, others argue that the special travel asset can be a tool to leverage Africa’s creative influence, as the pin moves to impactful cultural leaders. Be it digital storytelling positioning, artistic prominence, broadcast expertise, cultural entrepreneurship or global network building across key markets, each of the personalities honoured with the diplomatic passport brings a different front of influence to the table. The move to broaden Ghana’s diplomatic toolkit by urging cultural ambassadors on, contributes to the continuous advancement of equitable trade, ethical tourism, cultural resource management and most importantly, could help shape social identity.  

Traditional diplomats today do not enjoy the extensive global reach that creatives garner, due to the often state-centric and bureaucratic procedures. We are witnessing the symbolic and practical evolution of African diplomacy, though it must stay transparent, inclusive, and calculated, to not reinforce privilege. Imagine a network of Pan-African cultural diplomats who promote shared values, knowledge and histories across multiple African states. 

Editor’s Note.

In a bold recalibration of soft power, Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has awarded diplomatic passports to five leading cultural figures — a move that recognizes the growing global influence of creatives and their potential to shape cross-continental narratives. In this piece, Ghanaian writer and researcher Kwame Aidoo explores the motivations behind the decision, unpacks the individual contributions of each cultural ambassador, and situates this moment within a broader discourse on Africa’s diplomatic future.

As conversations around cultural policy, international identity, and diaspora engagement grow louder, this article is a valuable contribution to understanding how governments can meaningfully include creatives in national representation.