AIYA MAYA

Centuries-old, the same stories told, making little to no impact on the continent made us sore. Speaking our truth would make us soar, and so the narrative changes!

Thanks but no thanks to mainstream media for propagating negative stereotypes portraying Africans as poor, powerless, unattractive, and making little to no contribution to global development. Large audiences worldwide are fed images of Africa as a jungle filled with starving people, unrest, civil wars, and corrupt leaders by media platforms. According to Africa No Filter, “one-third of all African stories in news outlets on the continent are sourced from foreign news agencies.”

AIYA Maya!! Mother Africa is a beautiful continent full of diverse cultures, natural wealth, and rich traditions. Ironically, social media platforms have opened doors to expose false narratives of Africans circulating worldwide. Many more of these platforms are the birthplace of people such as Wode Maya, championing the African story as wished to be told by the people. Berthold Ackon Winkler, popularly known as Wode Maya, is a Ghanaian YouTube personality, vlogger, and social influencer. Born in Ahenkofi, Takoradi, in the western region of Ghana, Wode Maya moved to China to further his education after high school. After receiving a scholarship to study in the United Kingdom, he was denied a visa and chose China as an alternative. He was admitted to Shenyang Aerospace University to study aeronautical engineering. During his time in China, he was discriminated against because of the color of his skin. The irrational fear of blacks by the Chinese based on damaging media images caused many to question his skin color, exhibit rude behavior, and ridicule him. The discrimination Wode Maya experienced in China inspired him to change Chinese perceptions of Blacks and Africans through social media.

Wode Maya first joined YouTube on the 10th of January 2013. He was only a viewer until the 2nd of March 2014, when he produced his first Youtube video, which received over 7.7k views on his channel “MrGhanaBaby.” The video featured Wode Maya and a Nigerian friend in China, discussing Valentine’s day, Chinese women, and African music. He continued to share his experiences in China on his channel, creating awareness on life as an African student living in Asia. Due to Asian and Western beliefs in the negative stereotypes of Blacks portrayed by the media, Wode Maya hosted mostly Chinese on his channel to show them the beauty of Africa.

After living in China for six years, Wode Maya graduated with a bachelor's degree in Aeronautics from Shenyang Aerospace University and moved back to Ghana. Back home, he started the “Africa to the World Movement” to promote positive images of Africa not typically seen in mainstream media.

Ranked as one of the best vloggers on the African continent; Wode Maya produces content traveling throughout Africa showcasing unique socio-cultural scenes, promoting black-owned businesses, and interviewing former heads of state. His impact on changing the narrative of Africa has been solid. A video he produced on Chinese immigrants illegally mining in Ghana led to the Ghanaian government taking action against illegal mining activities in the country. He has inspired young Africans with his bold and daring spirit. He also promotes fellow YouTube personalities with intentions to join the course of changing the African narrative. With over 698k subscribers, his channel has preached the gospel with tremendous effects. It hasn’t been smooth changing the African story; Wode Maya faces constant criticism, hate comments, and threats from fellow Africans and foreigners alike. He has been accused of being a money-hungry man using his platform to do nothing more than make a living off YouTube. However, Wode Maya has prevailed through it all. He is a passionate pan-Africanist who recognizes problems faced by black communities globally as an African problem. In my opinion, one of his best works is, "Dear Black People", in which he categorically stated, “not everybody hates black people”. The words of the King are best interpreted by his linguist to his kinfolk. Just as Wode Maya sacrifices to change the narrative, I believe we all can use our platform to tell our own stories promoting our image. Thus, causing the world to see Africa's richness and recognizing the enormous contributions Black people have made to society and the world.