With a drone in one hand and a smile in every frame, WodeMaya has become more than just a YouTuber. He is Ghana’s and Africa’s official ambassador, showcasing the continent’s culture, people, and potential to millions across the globe.
“Until the lion learns to write, every story will glorify the hunter”. This African proverb emphasise that the narrative of events is shaped by those in power, and the perspective of the oppressed is often left out. And an action to the marginalised find their voice and tell their own story, the version told by the victors or those in authority (the “hunter”) will prevail.
Wode Maya is Ghana and Africa’s Lion who is retelling the African narrative that has been told by the likes of slavery and colonialism. Through the digital storytelling, his work represents a new form of cultural diplomacy through tourism and digital media.
The Rise of Wode Maya
Wode Maya (Berthold Kobby Winkler Ackon) is a Ghanaian freelance Vlogger / YouTuber. He was born on March 3, 1990,in Ahekofi, a village in Kofikrom, in the Western Region of Ghana. He who holds a degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Shenyang Aerospace University, China. He also studied at Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU) — gaining proficiency in Mandarin and being immersed in Chinese culture.He began vlogging to challenge negative stereotypes about Africans in China.
Over time, his channel expanded to cover African culture, travel, and entrepreneurship, highlighting stories rarely told in mainstream media. Through his platform, Wode Maya has interviewed African leaders, entrepreneurs, and cultural icons, including Presidents H.E John Dramani Mahamaand H.E John Kufuor, Kenyan lawyer Prof. PLO Lumumba, and CEOs such as Allen Onyema (Air Peace) and Innocent IfediasoChukwuma (Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing). His channel now boasts nearly two million subscribers, reflecting the growing global appetite for authentic African stories. The Africa to the World Project, his flagship initiative, seeks to document Africa in its diversity, from the bustling cities of Lagos and Nairobi to remote rural communities in Namibia and South Sudan. He aims to break stereotypes, encourage tourism, attract investment, and promote pan-African solidarity.
On October 1, 2025, the Government of Ghana, through Minister of Foreign Affairs Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, conferred diplomatic passports to Wode Maya and other creative figures, formally recognizing their role as cultural diplomats.
Promoting Ghana and Africa’s Image
Accra (capital city)
As part of his “Experience Ghana” itinerary, Wode Maya has done city-tour content in Accra, showcasing major landmarks including Black Star Gate and Black Star Square — symbolic sites for Ghana’s independence and national identity. He also featured the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum / Memorial Park which is a key historical and cultural site that commemorates Ghana’s first president and the country’s liberation history. Through these visits he helps highlight Ghana’s history, heritage, and the significance of national symbols to both locals and global audience.
Nogokpo (Volta Region)
He visited Nogokpo to explore its cultural/religious reputation.The town is known for traditional spiritual justice and beliefs; in his video, he speaks with local leaders about why it is considered one of Ghana’s “most feared” towns. Through that visit, Wode Maya sheds light on traditional beliefs and customs that are not always widely known or understood, offering a view of Ghana’s cultural diversity.
Anomabo (Central Region, coastal town)
Wode Maya once showcased a “luxury glass house” accommodation in Anomabo. This attempt highlights a beachfront lodging option on Ghana’s coast. By featuring Anomabo and its coastal settings, he draws attention to Ghana’s seaside culture and tourism potential beyond the usual urban centres.
Takoradi / SekondiTakoradi (Western Region)
There is video content of Wode Maya exploring Takoradi — including lodging, travel around town, showing that he also visits Ghana’s western coastal/commercial hubs. By including Takoradi/Sekondi-Takoradi in his travels, he gives visibility to coastal Ghana outside of Accra and Central Region, broadening perspectives on Ghana’s regional diversity.
Selected African Countries Wode Maya Has Visited (for Culture & History)
Mount Kilimanjaro (Tanzania / East Africa)
Wode Maya climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and shared photos from the peak, showing Africa’s natural grandeur and adventure potential. By doing so, he draws attention to Africa’s mountain-landscapes — countering narrow media images that may focus only on urban poverty or conflict.
Masai Mara (Kenya)
In another video, Wode Maya crosses from Masai Mara (Kenya) into Serengeti (Tanzania) — in effect showing African unity beyond colonial borders. This visit highlights East Africa’s rich wildlife, natural heritage, and shared tourism potential across borders.
Freetown, Peninsula (Sierra Leone)
According to media coverage, during his 2025 visit, WodeMaya’s itinerary in Sierra Leone included historic and cultural landmarks — e.g. coastal sites, heritage locales, local creative communities. This kind of content helps bring attention to lesser-known but historically and culturally significant places in West Africa beyond the usual travel hotspots.
Botswana (Southern Africa)
Wode Maya visited Botswana and met with the Ghanaian community living there, exploring the lives of Africans abroad inside Africa. Through such visits, he highlights intra-African migration, diaspora networks, and culturally diverse African communities — showing Africa’s interconnectedness.
Namibia
On his “Africa to the World” page, Wode Maya mentions visiting populations such as the Himba people (Namibia), the Mundari people (South Sudan), and other tribal/ethnic communities — offering viewers a glimpse into traditional African cultures often under-represented globally. Through these portrayals, he helps remind audiences that Africa is not homogenous but composed of many peoples, languages, traditions, and life-ways.
Lesotho
Lesotho is called the Kingdom in the Sky. Wode Maya’s video portraying Lesotho as the coldest country in Africa plays a crucial role in promoting African identity. By showcasing snowfall, mountain culture, Basotho blanket traditions, and the resilience of communities living in the highlands, his content challenges stereotypes of Africa as uniformly hot and primitive. The video highlights the continent’s climatic diversity, strengthens cultural pride, and promotes Lesotho as a winter tourism destination. Through positive storytelling and authentic engagement with locals, Wode Maya presents Africa as complex, beautiful, and culturally rich—thereby advancing a stronger, more accurate African identity.
Ethiopia
He also visited Abuna Yemata Guh, which is carved into a high cliff in the Tigray region of Ethiopia. Wode Maya’s video illustrates that: Africans built sophisticated architectural wonders long before Western colonization. The church’s construction that is hand-carved into solid rock at a dangerous height demonstrates early African engineering skills. Ethiopia’s Christian heritage dates back to the 4th century, proving that Africa has deep spiritual and architectural history.
How He Qualifies as a Cultural Diplomat
Cultural diplomacy is the exchange of ideas, traditions, and arts to foster international understanding. It is a soft-power strategy, where cultural expressions, rather than politics or military force serve as a tool to influence foreign audiences and foster goodwill.
Wode Maya exemplifies this through:
• Arts and Literature: Showcasing music, dance, festivals, and visual arts.
• Heritage and Traditions: Highlighting rituals, clothing, cuisine, and historical landmarks.
• Education and Exchanges: Sharing African history and culture with global audiences.
• Media and Communication: Using YouTube and social media to reach millions, blending entertainment with education.
In addition to celebrating values, Wode Maya fosters national unity by traveling across regions and engaging with diverse ethnic communities. His narratives emphasize shared identity indiversity, connecting urban and rural, northern and southern Ghana and Africa at large and reaching the diaspora. By presenting stories of collaboration and resilience, he strengthens the sense of collective pride and encourages Ghanaians and Africans abroad to connect with their cultural roots.
Unlike traditional diplomacy, Wode Maya leverages digital platforms like YouTube and social media to reach global audiences in real time. His content educates, entertains, and inspires, promoting Ghana and Africa positively while building admiration and goodwill internationally. Through this approach, Wode Maya embodies modern cultural diplomacy, projecting Ghanaian culture and African, values, and unity to the world in ways that complement and sometimes surpass conventional diplomatic channels.
Tourism and Development Impact
Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA): Wode Maya has partnered with GTA to showcase destinations like Cape Coast Castle, Kakum National Park, and Mole National Park. His videos promote Ghana as a tourist destination and encourage both local and international travelers to explore the country.
Sierra Leone Tourism Board: During his visit, he collaborated with local tourism authorities to highlight Freetown’s historical sites, beaches, and cultural heritage, boosting the country’s global visibility.
Tanzania / Serengeti & Mount Kilimanjaro: Though informal, his videos highlighting parks and natural landmarks serve as promotion for Tanzanian tourism, showing how African countries can use influencers for cultural and natural heritage promotion.
Promotion of Local Businesses
Small-scale Ghanaian entrepreneurs: He often highlights farmers, artisans, street food vendors, and local fashion designers, showing their products and operations to millions of viewers. For example, he showcased cocoa farmers and sheabutter producers, giving them international exposure.
Community markets in Africa: In Uganda, Kenya, and Botswana, Wode Maya visited markets and small businesses, encouraging support for local entrepreneurship while highlighting sustainable African businesses.
Tourism-related businesses: Through visits to lodges, guest houses, and eco-tourism sites, he promotes locally-owned businesses as viable tourist destinations.
Diaspora and African Interest
Diaspora engagement: Many videos target African communities abroad, e.g., showing Ghanaian culture to Ghanaians and Africans in the diaspora, encouraging visits to ancestral homelands.
Pan-African identity promotion: By traveling across Africa and showcasing diverse cultures—from the Himba in Namibia to the Mundari in South Sudan—he sparks interest among global Africans to learn, connect, and invest in African heritage and tourism.
Inspiring youth entrepreneurship: His storytelling of African innovators and local businesses motivates both local youth and the diaspora to support African-made products and contribute to continent-wide development.
Conclusion
In today’s digital age, where a single video can reach millions across the globe, Wode Maya’s camera has become a powerful tool of diplomacy. His work demonstrates that culture, hospitality, and digital creativity can serve as effective ambassadors for Ghana and Africa at large, presenting the continent in a nuanced and positive light. Just as Fuse ODJ tells the African story through his song “54 Countries”, Wode Maya narrates the continent’s diverse cultures, histories, and achievements—stories often overlooked by mainstream media.
Critics may argue that Wode Maya presents Sub-Saharan Africa through rose-colored glasses, acknowledging that Africa continues to face socio-economic challenges. Yet, even amid these realities, his storytelling provides a counter-narrative—the perspective that colonial histories, conflict, and poverty do not define the entire continent. He is the lion giving voice to the stories that the hunter has historically silenced, safeguarding and promoting the pan-African dream. Supporting such voices is no longer optional; it is essential for shaping Africa’s narrative in the 21st century.
About the Author
Raphael Junior Mensah is a literature and drama tutor, a theatre critic, an author, and a researcher with a passion for African theatre, diplomacy, and the role of performance in social transformation. He writes on arts, culture, and education for various Ghanaian platforms.
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