Diaspora (Commonwealth Union) _ In a groundbreaking flip of diplomatic protocol, Ghana has issued five of its strongest cultural figures something stronger than the highest-ranking ambassadorial status: diplomatic passports. Grammy-nominated musician Rocky Dawuni, television presenter Anita Erskine, artist Ibrahim Mahama, travel blogger Wode Maya, and businesswoman Dentaa Amoateng MBE now hold dark blue passports that carry symbolic dignity as well as pragmatic benefit to advance Ghana’s interest in the world. This innovative initiative marks a strategic shift from traditional state-to-state diplomacy to a focus on people-oriented cultural statecraft, and it has the potential to redefine the use of soft power in the era of the Internet.
The selection criteria reveal Ghana’s sophisticated understanding of 21st-century power. Rather than choose politicians or business leaders, Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa targeted individuals with authentic cultural stature and vast influence. Wode Maya’s YouTube channel showcases African stories to millions of young people across the world. Rocky Dawuni’s music is the soundtrack of pan-African consciousness. Anita Erskine’s bilingual broadcasting bridges continental and diaspora conversation. Ibrahim Mahama’s installations make Ghanaian material into global art criticism. Dentaa Amoateng’s GUBA Awards platform diaspora enterprises. Together, they form a multi-platform force of influence that can touch lives that no official diplomat ever could.
The strategic sensibility is more than just mere publicity. Diplomatic passports permit visa-free entry to numerous nations, enabling these cultural ambassadors to be agile to grasp possibilities without the sluggish processing of bureaucratic mechanisms. They hold an imprimatur that opens doors to cultural organizations, media networks, and business communities where official diplomacy can run into brick walls. Most importantly, they signal that Ghana has reached a realization that cultural output, be it music, digital media, or visual material, is real diplomatic coinage in an economy built around attention. As Minister Ablakwa noted at the Diaspora Summit launch, these nominations aim to “connect Ghana to the world” by way of authentic cultural streams rather than bureaucratic streams.
This plan is consistent with Ghana’s broader diaspora outreach strategy, such as the historic “Year of Return” initiative that attracted African descendants from across the globe. The country recognizes that its diaspora population is not merely remittance potential but an amplification network for culture that has the potential to reshape global sensibilities. By extending official status to influencers, Ghana is subtly doubling up its diplomatic reach without adding to its foreign service budget—a masterful deployment of available cultural capital for emulation by other Global South nations.
Traditional diplomacy encounters numerous challenges, from strained multilateral architectures to escalating xenophobia. Cultural ambassadors are able to bridge political conflicts through art, music, and individual stories that make their nation more relatable than any policy white paper. They derive their power from artistic merit rather than political appointment, so their words sound sweeter and are less likely to be dismissed as propaganda. As the 2025 Diaspora Summit approaches Ghana, these five passports are not merely travel documents; they’re instruments in a soft power revolution in which culture is the most potent weapon of diplomacy.
