Naa Ashorkor
| Naa Ashorkor Mensah-Doku | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | November 24, 1988[1] |
| Nationality | Ghanaian |
| Other names | Nisirine |
| Alma mater | Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ); University of Ghana Legon (Faculty of Law) |
| Occupation | Actress / Broadcaster - Radio & Television |
| Years active | 2008 - Present |
| Employer | EIB Network (Starr FM, GH One Entertainment TV) |
| Known for | Adams Apples (2010 - 2013); Poisoned Bait (2014); The Perfect Picture (2009); |
| Home town | Teshie, Accra, Ghana |
| Religion | Christian (Pentecostal) |
Naa Ashorkor Mensah-Doku (born November 24, 1988)[1] is a Ghanaian Actress and Radio/ TV Broadcaster .[2] She's best known for starring in the Perfect Picture (2009), by Award Winning Director Shirley Frimpong-Manso and Iroko TV's Poisoned Bait - A Movie Series directed by Leila Djansi. She won the Award for Best Actress in 2010 at the African Movie Academy awards for her role played in The Perfect Picture.[3][4] Naa Ashorkor also starred alongside industry greats such as Yvonne Okoro, Joselyn Dumas, John Dumelo, Anima Misa Amoah and Adjetey Anang in Adam's Apples - an Award Winning Ghanaian Movie Series by Sparrow Productions that run from 2010 - 2013
Naa Ashokor is the host of TV Shows Just The Law (April Communications) and popular "girl talk" show, Tales From The Powder Room (GH One TV). She's also the host for one of Ghana's most celebrated beauty pageants Miss Malaika Ghana. She's also the host of a midmorning show dubbed The Zone which runs every weekday on the Accra-Based Starr FM. In addition, Naa Ashorkor has starred in stage productions such as Don't Dress for Christmas,Vagina Monologues and Run For Your Wife. In 2015, she produced and starred in Nigerian Comedy Medicine For Love which featured in the top Twitter trends for about two consecutive weeks in October 2015.
Early life
Born to Mr Paul Mensah-Doku and Sarah Mensah-Doku on November 24, 1988, Naa Ashorkor is the second of four sisters. From her humble beginnings, she always wanted to pursue law as a career. Later in life, she developed a strong interest in TV News Reporting.
She attended the Daras School from Nursery through to Junior High School (JHS) where she was not much of a talker. It was at Benkum Secondary School (Akuapem Larteh) that she identified her penchant for Public Speaking. Naa Ashorkor held key leadership positions while in Secondary School such as Vice President of the Students' Representative Council (SRC) and Zonal Secretary of the Eastern Regional Students' Representative Council (SRC). She was also a member of the School's Cadet Corps.
Her victories in various Inter-School Debate Competitions in Secondary School further boosted her confidence and prepared her for a career in the limelight. Her favourite subject in Secondary School was Literature and this pushed her to read voraciously on anything that came her way. She found her love for the English Language at that stage of her life.
Career
Nisirine Naa Ashorkor Mensah-Doku went into presenting when she was invited on several occasions as a guest on a Youth program New Generation, on TV Africa. She later presented Day Break Entertainment then subsequently went on to host Day Break. She was also a co-host with Okyeame Quophi on TV Africa's variety show Sound Splash.
While with Sound Splash, she got featured in her first movie role in Scorned by Shirley Frimpong Manso.
She left TV Africa to work full-time as a Producer and TV Presenter at Production and Events Organizers, CharterHouse. She left CharterHouse in 2012.
She now works at Accra-Based Starr FM where she hosts The Zone and also at GH One as the host of Tales From The Powder Room.
Talking about how she ended up in movies, Naa said she accompanied a friend to an auditioning session but ended up being auditioned herself and being picked for consideration.
After waiting for what seemed like forever, she said, the call finally came through and she earned for herself a role in Scorned only to be followed with a bigger one in The Perfect Picture. She has since starred in Double (2009), Checkmate (2010), Adams Apples (2010-2013) and Poisoned Bait (2014).
"I was thrilled when I received the call the second time to feature in The Perfect Picture. I had no idea I was going to act alongside big names in movies like Chris Attoh, Jackie Appiah and Adjetey Anang so when I was given the script I gave it my best shot. It was quite challenging" she revealed.
One of the challenges she faced before the shooting of the movie was combining the preparation with writing her journalism school exams and attending rehearsals. She was successful on both counts.
Naa Ashorkor believes that one needs not be a professional to be a good actor. What is needed is the commitment and willingness to do it.
This is how she put it: "It is not easy but it can be done. It's work and fun at the same time but acting is anything that anyone can do, once you have a good director and a good movie production house.
On the 19th and 20th of February 2010, together with others, Naa embarked on the show to mark the World Vagina Day aimed at popularizing the usage of the word ‘vagina’ and demystify the contempt associated with it.
Twitter Verification
On the 14th of April 2016, Naa Ashokor had her account (@Naa_Ashorkor) verified on popular social media site Twitter. At the time of verification, she had 17,500 followers on the social media site.
Starr Woman Project
On the 19th of March, 2016 - Naa Ashorkor together with her team on The Zone, partnered with Starr FM, Lydia Contraceptives and Baileys to launch the Starr Woman Project.[5]
The aim of the project was to provide an opportunity for women, who had reached the pinnacle of success in their respective fields, to interact with young women entrepreneurs who were in need of guidance, mentorship and direction.
The launch was graced by three distinguished women – Veteran Broadcaster Gifty Anti, Co-Founder and Chief Technical Officer of Logiciel, Farida Bedwei and Co-Host of GH Today, Baisiwa Dowuona Hammond.
The project is going to be a seminar-style event that will run quarterly through 2016.
Maiden Edition
The first main event for the Starr Woman Project was held on 8 April 2016 at the Alisa Hotel.
The turnout was massive as the 200+ capacity auditorium was filled to the brim.
The event featured five women entrepreneurs:
- Anita Erskine-Amaizo (TV/Radio Presenter, Chief Executive Officer of Brand Woman Africa)
- Anita Wiafe-Asinor (Founder, Ghana Women in Business & Leadership)
- Whitney Boakye-Mensah (Events Planner/ Consultant/ Entertainment Critic)
- Beryl Agyekum (CEO, EchoHouse)
- Dzigbordi K. Dosoo (Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Allure Africa Group)
Topics discussed included People Management, Marketing and Communication, Mompreneurship, Relevance of Mentorship and Thinking Outside The Box.
Second Edition
The Second Edition of the Starr Woman Project was held on 20 August 2016 at the Alisa Hotel.
The theme for this edition was "Standing Out As A Female Entrepreneur"
Turnout for this edition surpassed that of the maiden event. The auditorium was filled to capacity within the first hour of the show.
Season 2 of the Starr Woman Project had following women as speakers:
- Anita Erskine-Amaizo[6] (TV/Radio Presenter, Chief Executive Officer of Brand Woman Africa)
- Dzigbordi K. Dosoo[7] (Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Allure Africa Group)
- Whitney Boakye-Mensah (Events Planner/ Consultant/ Entertainment Critic)
- Claudia Lumor Kwarteng[8] (Founder, Glitz Africa)
- Caritas Naa Ayele Aryee (Founder, Tatas and Friends & Go Digital)
Vodafone Ghana Music Awards 2016 (VGMAs 2016)
On Saturday 8 May 2016, Naa Ashorkor, along with Actor Chris Attoh hosted the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards 2016 (VGMAs 2016). The show which was held at the Accra International Conference Centre saw musicians and celebrities from all parts of Ghana and Africa under one roof.
One of the highlights of the show was when Naa Ashorkor did a rendition of Sarkodie's 2010 Hit Single "You Go Kill Me" live on stage. The crowd went wild with excitement as she flawlessly rapped along to the song.
Naa Ashorkor, who was hosting the VGMAs for the first time in her career, shared these sentiments prior to the event, "... I really prepared very well for the day because I knew I didn’t have just my brand to protect but that of the awards scheme as well..."[9]
One viewer on social media site, Twitter, described Naa Ashokor's handling of her first ever VGMA as "…. the best performance of the night. "
Exclusive Men of the Year (EMY) Awards 2016
A month after her brilliant hosting of the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMAs) 2016, Naa Ashorkor hosted the maiden edition of the Exclusive Men of the Year (EMY) Awards on the 18th of June, 2016.[10]
The show, which was held at the State Banquet Hall, sought to award hardworking men who had reached the pinnacle of success in areas such as business, fashion, education, technology and communication.
Naa Ashorkor could not contain her excitement as she posted this on her Instagram account prior to the event:
"This weekend!! I will be your host for the first edition of EMY Awards at the State Banquet Hall alongside my senior man, Nathaniel Attoh! Looking forward to this with glee. #excited #humbled #EMYs"
Entertainment news site ghanagist.com described Naa Ashorkor as becoming ".... the preferred host choice for big events in Ghana"[11]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | One More Day | Joe | Supporting Role |
| 2014 | Letter From Adam | Kabuki | Supporting Role |
| 2014 | Poisoned Bait | Kadijah | Supporting Role |
| 2010 - 2013 | Adams Apples | Kukuaa | Lead Role |
| 2010 | Checkmate | Naana | Supporting Role |
| 2009 | Double | Zulaika | Supporting Role |
| 2009 | The Perfect Picture | Akasi | Lead Role. Won 3 African Movie Awards for Lead Role, Best Performer by Actor in Supporting Role & Best Director |
| 2008 | Scorned | Soraya | Supporting Role |
| Year | Title | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Just The Law | GH One | Ghanaian TV Show that provides the platform for viewers to be educated about the law in an entertaining, light and interactive way. |
| 2012 - Date | Tales From the Powder Room | GH One | "Girl Talk" Series that includes in-studio discussions from an experienced panel and gives viewers the opportunity to learn from experiences that characterize topical areas such as relationships, rape, divorce, professional development, religion and so on. |
| 2009 - Date | Guess Who's Coming for Dinner | GH One | Award-winning reality TV series that moves the traditional studio kitchen set and brings the show live to the kitchens of the guests of the show. |
| 2009 - Date | Miss Malaika Ghana | GH One | Popular pageant show that provides the platform for young Ghanaian ladies within the age range of 18-26yrs to nurture their confidence, intelligence and self-esteem. |
| 2012 | Close Up Salsa Fiesta | GH One | The biggest gathering of Salsa lovers and one of the most exciting events in the Ghanaian entertainment industry |
| Year | Title | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 - Date | The Zone | Starr 103.5 FM | Midmorning Show |
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Don't Dress For Christmas | Lead Role. Comedy. |
| 2015 | Medicine For Love | Lead Role. Producer. Comedy. |
| 2013 | Love Concert | Lead Role. |
| 2012 | His Birth In The 21st Century | Lead Role. Re-adaptation of the birth of Jesus Christ. |
| 2011 | Run For Your Wife | Lead Role. Adult Comedy Play. |
| 2010 | The Vagina Monologues | Lead Role. Episodic Play |
| Year | Title | Role | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Tigo | Drop That Yam | Lead Role |
| 2015 | Tigo | Yensor Nkoaa | Lead Role |
| 2014 | Ideal Milk / Nestle | Ideallicious Challenge | Lead Role |
| 2013 | Samsung | Galaxy Note 3 | Lead Role |
| 2010 | Ricemaster | Master Cooking Tips | Lead Role |
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2016 | Exclusive Men of the Year (EMY) Awards |
| 2016 | Vodafone Ghana Music Awards |
| 2014 | Glitz Africa Fashion Magazine Launch |
| 2013 | African Movie Academy Awards |
| 2012 | Occasions Hats & Craft Graduation Ceremony |
| 2010 - 2012 | Miss Malaika Grand Finale |
| 2011 - 2012 | Close Up Salsa Fiesta |
| 2010 - 2012 | Lightening of the Christmas Tree |
| 2009 - 2012 | Festival of Nine Lessons & Carols |
| 2011 | Launch of Lifebuoy Soap Activation |
| 2010 | Launch of Safeguard Soap in Ghana |
| 2009 | Miss Ghana |
References
- 1 2 "Biography: Naa Ashorkor Mensah-Doku". Ghanama.com. 11 June 2010. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
- ↑ Francis Addo (9 October 2014). "Lydia Forson Talks Of Naa Ashorkor Marriage". Dailyguideghana.com. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
- ↑ "Spotlight: Naa Ashorkor Mensah-Doku". Peacefmonline. Ghanacelebrities.com. 11 Jun 2010. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
- ↑ "Naa Ashorkor Talks Family and Love". NewsOne. Accra - Ghana. Ghanaweb.com. 15 June 2012. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
- ↑ Kent, Mensah. "Farida, Gifty Anti, Baisiwa hail 'Starr Woman Project'". starrfmonline.com. Retrieved 2016-05-17.
- ↑ "Anita Erskine - Google Search". g.co. Retrieved 2016-08-20.
- ↑ "Biography - Dzigbordi K. Dosoo". 2015-05-12. Retrieved 2016-08-20.
- ↑ LGH-Staff (2015-02-13). "Claudia Lumor Among Powerful Players of African Fashion". GhanaCrusader.com - Latest News in Ghana and Beyond. Retrieved 2016-08-20.
- ↑ Asumadu (2016-05-17). "I packed my self well for 2016 VGMAs – Naa Ashorkor". News Ghana. Retrieved 2016-05-17.
- ↑ Ent, Cypress (2016-06-16). "CypressGHANA.COM: NAA ASHORKOR TO HOST FIRST EDITION OF EXCLUSIVE MEN OF THE YEAR (EMY) AWARDS". CypressGHANA.COM. Retrieved 2016-06-20.
- ↑ "GhanaGist.Com". GhanaGist.Com. Retrieved 2016-06-20.