For one to earn the attention of a woman, it would usually take many efforts, romantic gestures and numerous proposals from potential suitors to woo her heart.

And while the status quo has not changed much over the generations, the story of how Ghana’s first-ever beauty queen, Monica Amekoafia, who was crowned at age of 22 in 1957, had over 100 men proposing to marry her, is one of a difference.

The elegant and beautiful queen, born in 1934, emerged the winner of the Miss Ghana beauty contest, having represented Trans-Volta Togoland, which is today known as Volta Region.

Miss Amekoafia was the contestant number 9 in the pageant, which became the nickname or general tagline (Number 9) for all Ewes in Ghana.

After being crowned the winner, she mentioned that over 100 suitors had called on her, forcing her to sometimes stay up until midnight, listening to their various proposals.

She shared the encounter in the April 3, 1957, edition of the state-owned newspaper; Daily Graphic, which has now surfaced online.

During the interview with the paper, Monica also said that since winning the beauty contest, she had received an avalanche of letters from men, both home and abroad, seeking to propose marriage to her.

“In Accra alone, over 100 suitors had called on her and sometimes she had to stay up all night listening to them,” the paper wrote.

Despite these efforts, Monica told the Daily Graphic that she had no immediate plans for marriage but was optimistic about her trip to Britain at the time.

She emphasised that “If I should fall in love in Britain. I shall have to return to Ghana first before deciding on the next step to take.”

See the newspaper clipping from April 3, 1957, below as shared by the Daily Graphic.



This story was first published by GhanaWeb on November 20, 2023



MA