“If there’s one thing they know about me, it’s that I’m Ghanaian.”  

For sophomore Kezia Mensah-Apau, her identity is rooted in her culture, even while living in the United States. By practicing her culture through music, food, clothing and community, Mensah-Apau stayed connected to her Ghanaian heritage.

Being Ghanaian is so much more than just being from Africa. It is a unique culture that has a rich historical background with Africa has different parts to the continent with different cultures, including the north, south, east and west. Each country has different, unique qualities that make each one stand out. 

“I’m proud of the history because they gained their independence, which was in 1957,” Mensah-Apau said. “Our leader, who was like the president, he was Kwame Nkrumah, and he led Ghana out of bondage from Britain. So, seeing how that went about and then even now how people claim Ghana so much because of everything.” 

Additionally, Mensah-Apau reflected on traditions her family carried with them to the United States. 

“I’m very big on Ghanaian food,” Mensah-Apau said. “My favorite food is fufu. And then the music. I go to an all-Ghanaian church, so through that I’m connected to a lot of Ghanaians. Just like the clothes that I wear. Often times I get clothes from Ghana, so I like wearing that.” 

Mensah-Apau said she was looking to bring more visibility to the Ghanaian culture, not just in what she wore but also in activities at school. 

“Last year we had a diversity assembly, so I represented Ghana and wore a beautiful dress,” Mensah-Apau said. “I was trying to get an African student union started. It’s not that I’ve lost hope; I’ve just taken a pause on it.” 

Part of living as Ghanaian was learning to defend it in from in places where people tended to fear diversity instead of embracing it. There have been times when she had to stand up for her culture.  

Mensah-Apau recalled moving to a new house in Maryland in third grade where her neighbor asked if she was African and then laughed at her with friends.  

“Of course I’m not going to say no,” Mensah Apau said. “So then after that, they started bulling me because I was African, and they would say a bunch of weird stuff like, ‘“Oh, ya’ll live in huts.’” 

She said the teasing continued, and other African students were also bullied. Despite that, she said the experience only strengthened her pride in her culture and her desire to share her heritage with others. Someday, Mensah-Apau hoped to return to Ghana to visit her family and connect back to her roots.