Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond's coming-of-age novel, 'Powder Necklace' is indeed one for the ages. As I devoured each page, engrossed in the story of a young girl in London whose mother sends her back to Ghana for school after an 'incident,' I was incredibly moved by the main character's extraordinary journey.

Teenage Lila struggles with her stark new surroundings, attempting to find solid ground beneath her feet, while questioning her mother's love, and why she was sent away. She questions God, in disbelief that her new life is so vastly different than the one she left in London.

This remarkable story not only points out how easy Western living has become, but teaches us that there is growth in hardship, and that when we allow ourselves to experience life through the eyes of others, we reconnect with our own humanity. I had the honor of sitting down with this exceptional writer, Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond, whose incredible voice gave birth to this unique and fresh novel.


Where are you from and where were you raised?

I grew up in Queens, NY and am a full-on New Yorker who knows who to stand in front of to ensure I'll get a seat on the subway when it's packed, where to get a heaping $5 plate of the most awesome Cuban food, and where to score affordable vintage clothes, but my Ghanaian parents raised me on a diet of Ghanaian food, Ghana-style discipline, and eventually sent me to school and live in Ghana for three of my teenage years so I feel like I'm from both places--Ghanaian when I'm in New York, and a New Yorker when I'm in Ghana. Much of the book was inspired by my own experience schooling and living in Ghana between the ages of 12 and 15, spending summer vacations in London with my extended family, and also living in New York so I drew heavily from that.

When did you first realize you wanted to tell this story?

I feel like I've been telling this story ever since I returned to the States--whether I was recounting some of the craziness of that time in my life to friends, analyzing the experience in college papers, or sharing it in drafts with the small writing group I was in. I think the leap from telling the story casually to getting it published happened when I decided to write a fictionalized account. Telling this story as "Lila's story" freed me up to examine the experience and the issues of family, faith, and identity from an objective and helpful place.

Where did you get the information and ideas for Powder Necklace?

I also tried to subtly address class issues in the book and give a nod to Ghanaian history. For example, the school in the book is called Dadaba Girls' Secondary School. "Dadaba" means "spoiled child" in the Akan language. It was my way of saying that as "bad" as Lila thought she had it, there were the Enyos of Ghana who did not have the option of attending an elite boarding school. The dormitory houses are named after some of The Big Six -- the six men credited with leading Ghana to independence from Britain Dr. J.B. Danquah, Emmanuel Obetsebi-Lamptey, William Ofori-Atta, Edward Akufo-Addo, Dr. Ebenezer Ako-Adjei, and Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.

In terms of research, I tapped family members, friends, the internet, and books on Ghana to fill in holes, help with translation of Ghanaian words, etc.

How is your experience similar and different from Lila's?

The differences and similarities between my story and Lila's are literal and figurative. For instance, I think the theme of single parenthood/divorced parents was just my way of addressing the feeling of separation I felt from my parents and all that I had known when they sent me and my siblings to school in Ghana. Lila stays in the school for 6 months; I schooled in Ghana for 3 years.

I am from New York, but I wanted Lila to be from London because my summers spent there further expanded my definition of blackness and what it meant to be a Ghanaian. Because England colonized Ghana and many other African countries and Caribbean islands there is a thriving population of blacks who hold tight to their original culture, even as they reconcile it with the English culture they live, school, and work in.

It was also important to me to explore how Lila experienced England and later America after her time in Ghana. My experience in Ghana instilled a deep respect, pride and love for my Ghanaian heritage, and I think it did for Lila too and changed the course of her destiny.

What are the most surprising things you learned about yourself while writing Powder Necklace?

I was surprised to find how emotionally connected to that time I still am. As I wrote and reread certain passage, I would alternately tear up and crack up laughing.

What part did religion play in shaping your life and the book?

I became born-again during my time in Ghana. God was my ace as I emotionally and physically struggled through secondary school. When I returned to the States for college, I kind of kicked God to the curb in favor of the "college experience" -- after years of being the "broni" at school in Ghana I just didn't want to be "different" anymore for any reason. I found my old friend waiting for me though as I matured past my desperation to be like everyone else.

If you could have dinner with any one of your characters who would it be, why, and what would you like to tell them?

Auntie Flora! Lila's fashionista auntie was one of my faves to write because she was up front and unapologetic about the airs she put on to survive in her worlds -- her worlds being London and fashion. Plus, I'd want to go shopping with her. I'd love to talk Azzedine Alaia, knit kimonos, and juicing with her over cocktails and Thai or some piri-piri chicken at Nando's.

If readers would like to learn more about Ghana, are there any books you would recommend?

I'd recommend Accused in the Gold Coast by Fred Agyemang, a quick read of the history of Ghana's early interaction with the Dutch and English. Ayesha Harruna Attah's book Harmattan Rain which was short-listed for the Commonwealth Writers' Prize is a great fictional account of three generations of Ghanaian women that takes readers through the history of political upheaval and cultural shifts in post-Independence Ghana. I also quite enjoyed Ama Ata Aidoo's play Dilemma of a Ghost. It's a great examination of the interaction between Ghanaian and African-American culture as it happens when a Ghanaian son brings an African-American girl home as his bride.

What is in store for the next chapter in the life of Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond?

I'm excited to find out! As far as writing goes, I hope it involves writing and supporting many more books, plays, films, etc that add new and necessary strands to conversations around spirituality and faith, race, class, gender, Africa, and the African Diaspora.

If you could sum yourself up in a lyric, what would it be?

I think this lyric sums me up more or less: "I'm just a soul whose intentions are good -- Oh Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood."