Apiorkor Seyiram Ashong-Abbey

Apiorkor Seyiram Ashong–Abbey (born 1 April 1988) is a Ghanaian poet, writer, literary critic. She is currently the Head of Programmes Production with Citi FM/Citi TV and currently the host of Diplomatic License and What's Cooking on Citi TV.

She is also an editorial advisor for The InfluencHER Project, an editorial program and global community seeking to empower and amplify female voices. She later went to Lafayette College in the US, and came back to Ghana to study at the University of Ghana, Legon.

Career Apiorkor is the Head of Production at Citi FM/Citi TV and the host of ‘Diplomatic License’ and 'What's Cooking' on Citi TV.

Literary works

The Matriarch's Verse Apiorkor is the author of The Matriarch's Verse, a book of poems that seeks to celebrate, challenge, and highlight what it means to be Ghanaian in the 21st Century, of this is done from her perspective as a third-culture kid.

Performances

2019 Republica [Berlin] She performed at the 2019 edition of Republica held at Berlin, Germany.

TEDWomen Apiorkor performed at the 2020 edition of TEDWomen which is an annual TED conference organized by the TED headquarters in New York, USA.)

Sundance Film Festival 2021 She performed at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival which was held at the Park City, Salt Lake City, Utah in the United States. Apiorkor performed ‘Bewitched Vaginas".

Apiorkor explained her reason for writing the book:“I wrote ‘When the Person Called COVID Came’ in an effort to document the unsung tales of resiliency, grief, and the human spirit’s unflinching fortitude throughout the pandemic. This book is a testament to the innumerable people who overcame extraordinary obstacles and succeeded in doing so”.

Awards and honours In 2022, the Ghana Association of Writers (GAW) awarded Apiorkor as a first-place winner for the Spoken Word category at the sixth edition of the organisation’s awards.