“I knew photography was for men, but if men (male photographers) are able to tidy up women to pose for a photograph, which I think women can do better, then a woman can also do photography” – Felicia Abban, October 1998
Genesis
Born to a photographer, J. E. Ansah, in Sekondi in 1936, Felicia Abban was the first child of six children. Her father undoubtedly influenced her love for photography. She professed in an interview that she used to help his father during vacations in his studio. After completing her basic education, his father proposed photography as a profession, which she gladly accepted.
At age 14, Felicia became her father’s apprentice. His father then nurtured her love for photography till she was 18. At age 18, Felicia relocated to Accra after marrying Robert Abban. It was in Accra she began her remarkable journey as a photographer.
Career
In a few months, she set up her own business, “Mrs Felicia Abban’s Day and Night Quality Art Studio,” in the centre of Jamestown, Accra, in 1955. This studio was in the nucleus of some famous studios in Ghana, including Deo Gratias and Ever Young Studio. She took on other women as apprentices in her Art Studio, where she trained them.
In Abban’s early career, she also worked for The Ghana Times, the publishing house of Kwame Nkrumah’s Conventions People’s Party, when he became president. Her association with The Ghana Times earned her a position as a personal photographer for Ghana’s first president, Dr Kwame Nkrumah.
Her self-portraits, which she took before events, were remarkable.
The ANO gallery hosted her debut exhibition in March 2017, curated by Nana Oforiatta Ayim.
Her work was also showcased in the 12th edition of Bamako Encounters in 2019.
She passed on at age 87. Her life has inspired many Ghanaian women to pursue their passion and not be limited by their sex.
Stephen Baidoo is a writer who loves to research about Ghana's past. He brings Ghana's history to life with each unearthed fact and forgotten narrative, transforming dry dates into passionate stories.

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