Ewuraba Boakye makes Ghana Proud as she becomes the first Ghanaian to win an EMMY award for best writing

At the recent EMMY Awards, Michaela Ewuraba Boakye-Collinson broke a new world record.

The Ghanaian-British actress, who was born in East London to Ghanaian parents, won her first Emmy award yesterday night.

For her work on HBO and BBC’s ‘I May Destroy You,’ the 33-year-old actress known professionally as Michaela Coel received Best Writing in a Television Limited Series or Movie. She is the first black woman to win the award in the category’s history.

In addition to writing, Coel developed, produced, directed, and performed in the series that launched her career. ‘I May Destroy You’ is an HBO-BBC series that fictionalizes her sexual assault in 2016, after she was drugged and raped.

Coel took the stage to claim her medal and gave a moving acceptance speech that drew a standing ovation from the audience.

“Write the tale that scares you, that makes you feel uncertain, that isn’t comfortable. I dare you… Visibility these days seems to somehow equate to success. Do not be afraid to disappear—from it, from us—for a while, and see what comes to you in the silence,” she said in the video below.

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