In an emotional twist during her chat on TV3’s New Day, Nana Ama McBrown went beyond the usual glitz and talked about the gritty, humble beginnings that shaped her — a childhood full of blended love, shared survival, and family beyond bloodlines.
“We were five.” “My mom had three of us. Then she had another daughter who eventually moved to Germany. So at a point, we were three, then became four.”
But the beauty of her story lies in how they merged families with her aunt — a typical communal practice in the Ashanti culture.
“My auntie, who we were living with, had two boys. In Ashanti Region, your mother’s sister is your mother. So we all became five kids in one house.”
She explains how the labels didn’t matter. “Your uncle’s friend is still your uncle. Your cousin becomes your sibling. So we just counted ourselves together — five of us. Now with my sister in Germany, we’re six.”
McBrown described growing up in her grandmother’s uncompleted house, with very limited resources. Despite the structure being unfinished, it was home.
“We were living in my grandma’s house. Somehow it wasn’t even completed. But that was life.”
She added that sometimes, her mother had to rely on help from abroad.
“My mom would send some Dutch Mark from Germany to come help us. So you can imagine. Five children. Times were hard.”
But rather than drown in bitterness, McBrown embraced the lessons.
“I don’t regret it. Honestly, it has brought me joy. It made me who I am today.”
When Berla asked if she completed the secretarial school, McBrown said yes — but with a chuckle:
“Yeah, I did. But I don’t even know where that certificate is now.”
Before even venturing into secretarial studies, she had been chasing football, hoping it would be her breakthrough.
“Oh, football? That one came before the school. But that too was just a trial. I’ve been trying my luck since my mom’s womb.”
From football dreams to enrolling herself in school just to stop the whispers, McBrown’s journey is a mosaic of determination, survival, and pure Ghanaian resilience. And today, she’s living proof that your starting point doesn’t define your destination.
