Meet Abena Akuaba, the golden girl from the "Gold Coast" who conquered the golden crown!
One of 10 siblings, 27 years ago Abena Akuaba Appiah was born in Ghana, an African nation that was previously known as Gold Coast when it was a British Crown Colony (from 1821 to 1957). On March 27th, 2021, representing her other nation of citizenship, the United States of America, Akuaba lived a moment of glory which arrived after several attempts and unimaginable obstacles: she became the first black woman to win the Miss Grand International title.
The daughter of a Ghanian mother and an American father, Abena moved to the US with her family for the first time when she was 4 years old. That was the first time when reality hit her hard and she felt “different”, having been bullied so severely, that little Abena had to change schools and ended up been tutored at home. “I was frequently picked on and told that I was ugly, that my hair was ugly. It made me not believe in myself for a long time”.
When she was 9, the recently crowned Miss Grand International returned to Accra, Ghana, where she remained until she was 14. Back in the USA, Abena decided to face her fears. Fighting bullying and inspiring others to do so, became life goals and soon after an accomplishment for her.
Today she is a musical therapist who works with children with special needs. “Education can change everything”, she believes. She´s also a singer, actress, and composer who has studied fashion.
“My mom thought me to love my enemies because love is more powerful than hate”. Usually very positive and beloved by her fellow contestants in Thailand, Akuaba´s road to her moment of triumph hasn´t been always colorful, but she says that pageantry has helped her in her process of self-knowledge, self-acceptance, and healing. After participating in local competitions in the USA, it was in 2014 that Abena had her first big moment: she won the Miss Universe Ghana title and represented the country where she was born in Miss Universe 2014, in Miami. In 2016, again representing Ghana, Akuaba was the winner of a competition called “Queen Beauty Universe”, disputed by 21 countries and held in Spain. In 2019 she traveled to the Philippines to compete in Miss Earth, also representing Ghana, having reached the Top 20 there.
Last year Abena was getting ready to represent Long Beach at the Miss Grand California pageant when the Covid-19 pandemic took the world by surprise. In an online competition, Akuaba was selected to represent the USA in Miss Grand International 2020. She took this opportunity very seriously: Abena learned some Thai and traveled to the Philippines, where she was coached to compete in the Thailand-based Grand Slam competition. Always among the favorites to win the pageant, it was shocking for many to see that she even cried when the United States´ representative made the top 20, something everyone expected to happen. She later explained what happened:
“When I was about to enter the MGI stage, I checked the messages on my smartphone and saw someone telling me that I did not stand a chance to win, being black and ugly. Somehow that brought back the most horrible memories and I almost gave up”. What happened next, though, is quite special: Miss Guatemala, Ivana Batchelor, who saw the whole scene, approached Miss Grand USA and told her that she was absolutely beautiful and that she should never pay attention to the words and negativity coming from such people. She also said that she would text her parents in the audience and ask them to support her as well. “Ivana´s action was so essential for everything that would happen next! I cannot thank her enough”.
Interestingly, in the end, there was a triple tie between the representatives of the USA, Guatemala, and the Philippines, Samantha Bernardo, who she had met when in Manila and who was coached for this competition with her. “It was destiny, it was perfect!”, Abena tells GB with a bright smile upon her face.
The judges finally reached a decision and Abena Akuaba, representing the USA, was crowned Miss Grand International 2020!
“I kept pushing myself throughout all these years to prove that I could do it. I wanted girls like me to have me as an example and mostly, to believe in themselves, knowing that being “different” is ok and that they are just as beautiful as anyone else, as long as this beauty comes from within. Good people are beautiful people”.
She also says Miss Grand International is the best event she has entered in pageantry: “From the way we are treated to the production and the love we get from the Thai people, honestly, this is hard to match!. I am so proud to represent an organization with high values and which gives us a platform to speak out for what we believe in and inspire others. I am ready to start working and for making the most out of what sometimes I still think is a dream”.
To end this true Cinderella story of the golden girl, from the Gold Coast, who conquered the golden crown, we must add: she also has a big golden heart! Abena is ready to inspire the planet with her beauty, resilience, strength, and kindness.
This story shall be continued…
GB photos / Henrique Fontes @hffontes