Beatrice Owuso Kwaa: President/CEO.
Beatrice Owusu Kwaa was born and raised in Ghana. She graduated from the prestigious University of Ghana with Bachelors degree in Home Economics. She worked with the Ghana Education Service for nine years as elementary school teacher in Accra. While in Ghana as a teacher, Beatrice experienced first hand the hardship and struggles encountered by students and teachers seeking academic knowledge necessary to propel them to the next level in life.
Her migration to the United States, 15 years ago, gave her the opportunity to experience life that is unprecedented. Beatrice’s knowledge and experience in business, African culture and tradition helped her establish the first African retail store located in what once was the Assembly Square Mall in Somerville, MA - selling imported clothing, wood sculptures, jewelry and accessories for six years. Unfortunately, the mall was affected by the economy and was closed. Through the technical assistance of the office for housing and community development-Somerville, a grant was obtained to expand and develop the business.
Beatrice is also a consultant in cultural exhibitions, fashion shows and nutrition education. She has featured in many publications such as Merchant focuses on African Treasures, business page of the Boston herald December 1996; Cultural Emissary has New Aim, Boston Globe December2003; Beyond Pier One, Somerville News, May 2004.
Her objectives are twofold, assisting the immigrant population in Boston and helping rebuild rural
Schools in Ghana through cultural exchange.
Akosua O Kwaa: Director
Akosua O. Kwaa, a Cambridge resident, was born and raised in Ghana; Akosua migrated to the United States in 1989. She has a BA in Economics from the University of Massachusetts – Amherst. And currently a Communication Management graduate student at Emerson College. Akosua has worked as a case manager and auditor at Sun Life Financial. Akosua’s areas of interests include public relations and marketing. She did her Master’s program capstone project in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) which culminated in the design and implementation of a best practices blueprint for CSR. She has helped designed public relations campaigns for a frozen yogurt chain and Footwear company.
She is a member of the Publicity Club of New England, International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) and served as Vice President, Public Relations, Toastmasters International (Wellesley, MA).
She is passionate about social responsibility and enjoys traveling. In her spare time, she likes to read, explore neighborhoods and watch movies.
Kofi Asare Opoku: Director
Kofi Asare is a native of Ghana. He graduated from University of Ghana with a B.A. (Honors) in Geography, and Yale University Divinity School B.D., and University of Bonn - West Germany. He has touched many lives with a deep insight of the African culture through promotion of cultural integration, religious and important cultural traits through his lectures and publications. He has lectured in sociology of religions in Africa, African traditional religion, Introduction to African culture, Religions of the world, Islam, New religious movements in Africa, Death in cross cultural perspective, African religion in the Americas, The black experience and African cultural institutions.
Opoku has written seven books related to African culture – Report on Traditional Religions, 1968; Akom ho Nkommobo, 1969; Discussion of spirit invocation, Speak to the winds, 1975; West African Traditional Religion, 1978; Healing for God’s World, 1991; Healing and keeping akan proverbs, 1997. Opoku also published forty six different articles in local and international Newspapers. His writings has appeared in twenty three publications such as; education, culture and development in Africa, 1985; The role of education in contemporary Africa, 1988; The rise of independent churches in Ghana, 1990; Religious plurality in Africa, 1993; Mysticism and Mystical experience, 1995; African American and the bible, 2000; and Global religions, 2002.
One cannot discuss Traditional Religion without referring to Opoku Asare. He has produced many inspiring documentaries known as “how it is passed on from one generation to the other. One such conference was held at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, Washington D.C. on October 16th 1999. KENTE IS NOT JUST A CLOTH; REFLECTIONS ON KENTE, “WRAPPED IN PRIDE; GHANAIAN KENTE AND THE AFRICAN AMERICAN IDENTITY’
He is a recipient of the Diversity Recognition Award, Office of the Dean of Studies; Lafayette College; April 29th 2000. He has served on twelve boards and committees including the Ghana Museum and Movement Board, the African Religious Groups; American Academy of Religion. He is affiliated with professional associations like- The Aggrey society of West Africa, International Study for the Study of Prehistoric and Ethnological Religions, Martin Luther King Fellows Incorporated (USA), International Institute for the Study of Death, American Academy of Religions, and the African Studies Association (USA).
L’ Merchie Fraiser: Director
L’MERCHIE FRAISER is a native of Jacksonville Florida and a resident of Boston, Massachusetts. She is a Visual and Performance Artist, Educator, and Consultant. A mother of three, L’Merchie has been active in the New England community for over twenty years. As a visual artist, she is best known for her highly skilled, hand crafted beaded jewelry and sculpture. Other visual media include fiber and metals. The body adornment and sculpture is called the Spirited Images Cowrie Collection.
L’Merchie attended the City College of New York, the University of Hartford, and the School of Museum of Fine Arts. Currently, she is the Director of Education at the Afro- American History, Boston. She was formerly Education Director of Arts for Museum of Fine Arts. She taught African American Arts and Culture at the Boston Community Academy for at risk students. She was certified as an artist educator by the Kennedy Center of Artists and the MCC Folk Arts Review Panel. She was commissioned by Legacy Productions for PBS as Art Curator for Black America Facing the Millennium.
L’Merchie was awarded the Francis X. Merritt/ Mary B. Bishop Grant and a recipient of the Lila Wallace, Readers Digest, Arts International artist-in- residence fellowship in Brazil, Best of Boston poetry award 1999. She is the recipient of an artist residency in Taiwan; commissioned muralist for the New England Aquarium; commissioned kinetic sculptor for Boston Park Arts 2001; City of Boston Public Arts Award; and New England Foundation for the Arts, Visible Republic Public Art commission in holography.
L’Merchie’s work has appeared in several publications, including Spirit of the Cloth, Caroline Mazloomi; A History of Art in Africa, Monica Visona; In the Spirit of Martin, Sorin and Shannon; Fiberarts magazine, International of African American Art, Art New England, PBS, Encyclopedia of Black American Artists, new England Quilt Museum, Museu Laser Segail, Brazil; Ain Ping harbor, Taiwan; and American Crafts Museum, New York.