Deborah Owusu-Bonsu | |
---|---|
Born | Deborah Vanessa Owusu-Bonsu 25 August 1984 |
Other names | Sister Derby, Sister Deborah, Deborah Vanessa |
Education | Wesley Girls' High School Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (Bachelor's Degree) University of the Arts London (Master Degree) |
Occupation(s) | Television presenter, model, academic |
Years active | 1994–present |
Deborah Owusu-Bonsu (born 25 August 1984) better known by her stage name as Sister Derby or Sister Deborah[1] is a Ghanaian-Romanian television presenter, musician and model of Akan origin and a former presenter at e.tv Ghana.[2]
Deborah Vanessa Owusu-Bonsu was born on 25 August August, 1984, to an Ashanti father and a Romanian mother. Both of her parents were collectors of world music and art. She is a television show host, model, musician, academic, and graphic artist.[3] Owusu-Bonsu is the sister of popular hip life musician Wanlov the Kubolor who starred in the film Coz Ov MDeborah oni.[3] Owusu-Bonsu attended Christ the King International School, then Wesley Girls' High School.[3] She graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Publishing Studies from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology followed by a Master Degree in Book/Journal Publishing from the University of the Arts London.[3]
In 2012, Deborah Vanessa Owusu-Bonsu recorded and released a single (music) entitled 'Uncle Obama' referring to Barack Obama in which was covered by United States television network CNN.[4] Since 2012, Deborah Vanessa Owusu-Bonsu was the host of The Late Nite Celebrity Show program broadcast by television network e.tv Ghana.[5] She later moved to GHOne Television where she hosted her show, Gliterrati for a brief period before handing over to Berla Mundi.[6]
In the mid-2010s when the competition among West Africans about whose Jollof rice was better, expanded into the "Jollof Wars".[7] The "Jollof War" competition is especially prominent between Nigeria and Ghana.[8][9][10] In 2016 Deborah Vanessa Owusu-Bonsu released "Ghana Jollof", which poked fun at the Nigerian version and at Nigerians for being proud of their version.[11]
She dated rapper Medikal for three years, before breaking up in 2018.[12][13] Shortly after she introduced one David as her new partner but shortly after that relationship ended. After that turn of events, the uncle Obama hit-maker revealed in an interview that she is done with men.[1]
Deborah Vanessa Owusu-Bonsu has been actively involved in sanitation and recycling campaigns using her music. In 2018, she made a call on the government of Ghana to ban the use of plastic bags.[14] In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, she and her brother (Wanlov the Kubolor) made nosemasks from recycled secondhand clothing to help reduce clothing waste from dumpsites and the sea.[15][16]
Owusu-Bonsu has also been vocal about the rights of LGBT+ individuals in Ghana. In 2021, she spoke against the Ghanaian anti-LGBT bill and the shutting down of the LGBT+ Rights Ghana office.[17][18][19] She also featured on Angel Maxine's Kill The Bill and Wo Fie, which used music to advocate for the rights of LGBT+ individuals in Ghana.[20][21][22]
Year | Title | Artist |
---|---|---|
2012 | Uncle Obama | Sister Deborah ft (FOKN Bois) |
2015 | Kikoliko | Sister Deborah ft (Joey B)[23][24][25] |
2016 | Ghana Jollof | Sister Deborah[11] |
2017 | Sampanana | Sister Deborah ft (Medikal)[26][27] |
2018 | Pure Water | Sister Deborah ft (Efya)[28][29][30] |
2018 | Kakalika Love | Sister Deborah ft (Efo Chameleon)[31][32] |
2019 | Libilibi | Sister Deborah ft (Yaa Pono)[33] |