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]

Early life and education

Deborah Vanessa Owusu-Bonsu was born on 25 th 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]

Professional career

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]

Ghana Jollof

In the mid 2010 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]

Personal life

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]

Activism

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]}

Discography

Singles

References