first, another chance to watch the acclaimed ghanaian writer ama ata aidoo, who died last month, and r 2014 interview with hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk. i am zainab badawi. my guest today is the acclaimed ghanaian writer ama ata aidoo, a former education minister for a brief period under jerry rawlings in ghana, she has done arguably done arguably more than any other writer to depict and celebrate the condition of women in africa, in books such as the dilemma of a ghost and changes. ama ata aidoo is opposed to what she has described as a "western perception that the african female is a downtrodden wretch". but when you look around the african continent today — girls abducted in nigeria, polygamy re—introduced in kenya, child marriages and the prevalence of gender—based violence — how much is there to celebrate about being female in africa? ama ata aidoo, welcome to hardtalk. thank you very much, zainab. there's a lot of political issues and social affairs in your writings. how much do you see yourself as a writer with a mission? well, now, in retrospect, i suppose i could describe my