Over the course of her three decades as a photographer, Felicia Ewuraesi Gyasiwa Abban (née Ansah) covered and participated in a number of momentous historical events.

Today, March 23, at Winneba in the Central Region, the first female professional photographer in Ghana will be laid to rest. She passed away on January 4 at the age of 87.

She had tales that cried out to be spoken, and images worked best for her. She used photography to capture, preserve, and share with others the good things in the world around her.

She covered a wide range of topics, such as the British royal couple Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip’s visit to Ghana, Ghanaian royalty, market women, well-known attorneys and other professionals of the time, various business and private events, and some work for Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah, the country’s first president.

Ansah Joe E.’s apprentice

Mrs. Ewuraesi Gyasiwawas born in Swedru, in Ghana’s Central Region, on April 19, 1936, to Joe E. Ansah and Theresa Yankey. She developed an interest in her father’s profession by the time she was 14 years old.

At the time, Joe E. Ansah was a well-known professional photographer in Sekondi who served as President Tubman of Liberia’s official photographer.

She accepted his suggestion to give photography a serious go and started working as his apprentice.”I was pleased with his suggestion. In a 1998 interview, Mrs. Abban told the Public Agenda journal, “I used to help him in the studio during school vacations, and he had quietly observed my interest in the vocation.

“She learned the nuances of photography, including composition, exposure, and development, with her father’s help.