Ama K. Abebrese (born 3 May 1980) is a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

Ghanaian Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in Ghana–Ivory Coast border, the west, Burkina ...

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a Character (arts), character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek ...

television presenter A television presenter (or television host, some become a "television personality") is a person who introduces, hosts television show, television programs, often serving as a mediator for the program and the audience. Nowadays, it is common for ...

and a producer. She was born in

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

and raised in

West London West London is the western part of London, England, north of the River Thames, west of the City of London, and extending to the Greater London boundary. The term is used to differentiate the area from the other parts of London: North London ...

in the United Kingdom. She won the 2011 Best Actress in a Leading Role at the AMAA Awards for her stellar performance in ''

Sinking Sands ''Sinking Sands'' is a 2010 Ghanaian drama film written, produced and directed by Leila Djansi, and starring Jimmy Jean-Louis, Ama Abebrese, Emmanuel Yeboah A. and Yemi Blaq. The film received nine (9) nominations and won 3 awards at the 2011 Afr ...

''. Her film credits includes '' Azali (film)'' which is Ghana first ever selection for the Oscars; and the 2015

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

movie ''

Beasts of No Nation ''Beasts of No Nation'' is a 2005 novel by the Nigerian-American author Uzodinma Iweala, that takes its title from Fela Kuti's 1989 album of the same name. The book won the 2005 Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction and was adapted as a m ...

'' directed by

Cary Fukunaga Cary Joji Fukunaga (born July 10, 1977) is an American filmmaker. He first gained recognition for writing and directing the 2009 film '' Sin nombre'' and the 2011 adaptation of ''Jane Eyre''. He was the first director of partial East Asian des ...

and stars

Idris Elba Idrissa Akuna Elba (; born 6 September 1972) is an English actor.

. She plays the mother to lead young actor

Abraham Attah Abraham Nii Attah (born 2 July 2002) is a Ghanaian people, Ghanaian actor, living in the United States. He hails from the Ga–Dangme people, Ga–Dangme ethnic group in the Greater Accra Region, Greater Accra Region of Ghana. He made his featu ...

who plays Agu. Abebrese is listed among Africa's Top 20 Actors and Actresses by FilmContacts.com. She is the narrator and a producer on the Blitz Bazawule film The Burial of Kojo which was acquired by

Array An array is a systematic arrangement of similar objects, usually in rows and columns. Things called an array include: {{TOC right Music * In twelve-tone and serial composition, the presentation of simultaneous twelve-tone sets such that the ...

and was released on

. She is an accomplished television presenter with over two decades of experience. Ama K started her TV presenting career in her teens at YCTV in London. She has presented on

BBC2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...

, OBE TV,

Viasat 1 Viasat 1 was a Ghanaian television channel owned by the Swedish listed media group, Modern Times Group (MTG). It was replaced by '' Kwesé Free Sports'' in 2016. The channel was awarded a licence from the National Communications Authority of ...

TV3 Channel 3 or TV 3 may refer to: Television *Canal 3 (Burkina Faso), a commercial television channel in Burkina Faso *Canal 3 (Guatemala), a commercial television channel in Guatemala *Channel 3 (Algeria), a public Algerian TV channel owned by EPTV ...

, Ebonylife TV and many more.

Education

She attended William Morris Sixth Form in

Hammersmith Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. ...

after completing secondary school at Burlington Danes Academy. She holds a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

in Media Arts and Drama obtained at

St Mary's University, Twickenham , mottoeng = Show Thyself to be a Mother , established = 1850 (as St Mary's College)2014 (gained university status) , type = Public university , religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic , endowment ...

Career

Ama K. Abebrese started her training at YCTV (Youth Culture Television) in London, an organization started by

Sabrina Guinness Sabrina Jane, Lady Stoppard (née Guinness; born 9 January 1955) is a British-Irish television producer. Background Sabrina Guinness is the eldest child (of four daughters and a son) of James Edward Alexander Rundell Guinness CBE (1924–2006), ...

on the TV show ''

Challenge Anneka ''Challenge Anneka'' is a British reality programme that aired on BBC1 from 8 September 1989 to 15 October 1995 and was hosted by Anneka Rice. It was announced in 2006 that the series was returning, but this time on ITV. The first of the two s ...

''. She was a presenter on

youth show ''Pass da Mic'' and a guest presenter on the ''English File'' educational series. She developed a love for acting after joining the

Lyric Theatre (Hammersmith) The Lyric Theatre, also known as the Lyric Hammersmith, is a theatre on Lyric Square, off King Street, Hammersmith, London.

Summer Company as a youth. Abebrese was a regular TV presenter on the now defunct OBE TV in London, hosting and producing on a number of shows including ''One Touch'', and the entertainment chat show ''On The Sofa'', where guests she has interviewed range from

Akon Aliaune Damala Badara Akon Thiam (; born April 16, 1973), known mononymously as Akon, is a Senegalese-American singer, record producer, and entrepreneur. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of " Locked Up" (featuring Styles P) ...

Ziggy Marley David Nesta "Ziggy" Marley (born 17 October 1968) is a Jamaican singer, songwriter, musician, actor and philanthropist. He is the son of reggae icon Bob Marley and Rita Marley. He led the family band Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers until 200 ...

. She has interviewed the likes of

Harrison Ford Harrison Ford (born July 13, 1942) is an American actor. His films have grossed more than $5.4billion in North America and more than $9.3billion worldwide, making him the seventh-highest-grossing actor in North America. He is the recipient o ...

Ne-Yo Shaffer Chimere Smith (born October 18, 1979), known professionally as Ne-Yo, is an American singer, songwriter, actor, dancer, and record producer. He gained fame for his songwriting abilities when he penned Mario's 2004 hit " Let Me Love You ...

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to the ...

, and ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...

'' director

George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker. Lucas is best known for creating the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founding Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairm ...

among notable others. Her film credits include the international multiple award-winning film ''

'', directed by 2011 BAFTA LA and Pan African Film Festival prize winner

Leila Djansi Leila Afua Djansi (born 1981) is an American and Ghanaian filmmaker who started her film career in the Ghana film industry. Early life Leila Djansi was born Leila Afua Djansi in 1981.Nelmes, Jill; Selbo, Jule''Women Screenwriters: An Internati ...

. The film received 12 nominations at the 2010 Ghana Movie Awards, including "Best Actress in a Leading Role", the film won four awards, including "Best Film". Other film credits are Revele film's ''Elmina'' and ''London Get Problem''. She starred and co-produced the movie '' Double-Cross'', which won two awards for "Best Cinematography" and "Best Hair and Makeup" at the 2015 Ghana Movie Awards. She is the former Head of Own Productions and Executive Producer at

television station in Ghana. She was the host of ''A Day in the Life'' TV show which aired on Viasat 1; she co hosted ''New Day'' on

weekday mornings. In 2013, Ama alongside

Nollywood Nollywood is a sobriquet that originally referred to the Nigerian film industry. The origin of the term dates back to the early 2000s, traced to an article in ''The New York Times''. Due to the history of evolving meanings and contexts, there ...

actress Dakore and comedian

Ayo Makun Ayodeji Richard Makun, also known by his stage name A.Y, is a Nigerian actor, comedian, radio and TV presenter, writer, producer and film director. Born on 19 August 1971, he hails from Ifon, Ose local government in Ondo State. He is the host ...

hosted the 2013 edition of the AMAA Awards. She was named among C Hub magazine's 100 most influential 'African Women Influencers' of the era 2014/15. She was ranked the Number 1 Most Influential TV and Radio Host 2015 on the Ghana Social Media Rankings List

Filmography

Promotional work

In 2014, Ama was unveiled as Dark and Lovely's Brand Ambassador for Ghana.

Causes

Say no to skin bleaching

Ama is the founder of the "I Love My Natural Skintone. Say NO to Skin Bleaching" campaign, which she launched in 2014, it seeks to address issues of colorism and encourage Africans and people of color to embrace their natural skin tones and resist from the often harmful practice of skin bleaching. The focus is mostly on females to appreciate their different and unique skin tones, with the assertion that beauty comes in all different shades

Child safety icon

Ama K is a "Child Safety Icon" for the charity SafeChild Ghana, an organization whose primary goal is to keep the children safe from harm.

Free rape medical kits

Ama launched a petition in July 2020 in Ghana calling on the government to waive fees attached to the medical examinations of rape victims. The fees being charged became an impediment because without a proper medical examination no prosecution could be undertaken by the police and majority of the rape victims could not afford the fees. This led to a nationwide campaign which got her a meeting with the First Lady of Ghana Rebecca Akufo-Addo and Gender Minister Cynthia Morrison to implore the government to scrap the fees associated with the examination kits.

Awards and nominations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abebrese, Ama K Living people Ghanaian emigrants to the United Kingdom English television presenters Best Actress Africa Movie Academy Award winners Ghanaian film actresses 21st-century English actresses 1980 births People from Kumasi English film actresses Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom