Theodora "Dora" Boatemah (July 22, 1957 – January 23, 2001) was a British Ghanaian community leader and activist based in

South London South London is the southern part of London, England, south of the River Thames. The region consists of the Districts of England, boroughs, in whole or in part, of London Borough of Bexley, Bexley, London Borough of Bromley, Bromley, London Borou ...

. She founded the Angell Town Community Project in 1983 and was responsible for the regeneration of Angell Town Estate in

Brixton Brixton is a district in south London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th ce ...

, which commenced in 2001.

Biography

Boatemah was born in 1957 in

Kumasi Kumasi (historically spelled Comassie or Coomassie, usually spelled Kumase in Twi) is a city in the Ashanti Region, and is among the largest metropolitan areas in Ghana. Kumasi is located in a rain forest region near Lake Bosomtwe, and is the ...

, where her mother worked for Ghanaian leader

Kwame Nkrumah Kwame Nkrumah (born 21 September 190927 April 1972) was a Ghanaian politician, political theorist, and revolutionary. He was the first Prime Minister and President of Ghana, having led the Gold Coast to independence from Britain in 1957. An in ...

. In 1959, Boatemah was sent to an English boarding school. Her mother joined her in 1967, after Nkrumah was deposed, but returned to Ghana in 1973. Boatemah remained in London. As a young adult, Boatemah experienced homelessness. In 1977, she, her partner, Earl, and their young son moved to the Angell Town Estate in Brixton, South London. The estate was in disrepair, with poor living conditions. Boatemah established the Angell Town Community Project to campaign for community-controlled redevelopment. She sought the assistance of local and national politicians to improve the estate's conditions. She also campaigned for and won residents' right to vote on the estate's transfer from

council A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...

ownership to housing action trusts. Boatemah died in 2001 of a heart attack. She was 43 years old.

Legacy

A documentary film by artist Ayo Akingbade chronicles Boatemah's life and influence on the regeneration of Angell Town Estate in Brixton, South London.

Awards and honours

* 1994 — Boatemah was awarded an MBE for services to the community in Brixton. * 1996 — Boatemah was awarded an honorary doctorate from

Oxford Brookes University Oxford Brookes University (formerly known as Oxford Polytechnic (United Kingdom), Polytechnic) is a public university, public university in Oxford, England. It is a new university, having received university status through the Further and High ...

. * 2006 — Opening of Dora Boatemah Memorial Garden, based in Angell Town Estate.

References

British community activists Ghanaian emigrants to England {{DEFAULTSORT:Boatemah, Dora 1957 births 2001 deaths