Obaasima

Empowering Women in Ghana’s Creative Industries

In 2021, we teamed up with Stories of Young to host Women Rise - an event connecting African women entrepreneurs in Ghana. Focusing on Ghana’s trailblazing rate of women-led businesses - ranked third in the world in 2020, the intimate event highlighted subject matters such as innovation, individuality and creativity.

Today, we're excited to announce our new project - Obaasima - an interdisciplinary research project shedding light on the profound significance of African women in the creative industry.

Launching in January 2025, this project aims to generate new knowledge of creative and cultural industries across the continent. We hope to enhance the cultural imprint of African women through collaboration, connection and co-creation. By fostering community and providing essential resources, Obaasima aims to make a meaningful impact on the lives of creative working women. 

Why Obaasima?

Obaasima, meaning “Woman of Substance” in the native Twi language, is designed to empower the next generation of creative women.

Although the African visual art industry is worth over $13 billion, Ghana's creative sector faces numerous barriers - especially for women. Limited funding, lack of mentorship, and insufficient infrastructure have made it challenging for women to build sustainable creative careers. 

For women in particular, opportunities remain scarce: a study by ArtTactic found that only 7% of the top 500 artists in Africa’s art market are women, highlighting the gender disparity that persists in the industry.

In addition, gender roles and the expectations placed upon women continue to shape their career paths. Men are largely seen to dominate the realm of artistic creation whilst women have been largely relegated to traditional crafts such as pottery and textiles. As a result, their artistic contributions have often been overlooked, downplayed and dismissed. 

Through Obaasima, we’re addressing these challenges by offering networking opportunities, financial support and learning programmes tailored to the unique needs of Ghanaian women creatives.

Ghana and beyond - our vision for the future. 

Our launch event in Ghana marks the beginning of our commitment to connecting and supporting women across the creative sector, providing them with a platform to exchange ideas and foster future collaboration. 

Going forward, we hope Obaasima will become a starting point for long-term cultural exchange across the continent. Through collaboration, community, and shared learning, we hope to create a sustainable platform for women in the creative industry. 

We’re eager to learn, collaborate, and share knowledge so if you’re interested in working with us say hello@blackgirlfest.com 

BGF x