Fifty Four mag Founder and Editor-in-Chief Mwai Yeboah introduces our star interviewee, Deborah. “Like sisters sharing our interests, fashion, music and what’s going on in our lives, this is exactly how I felt when I met up with Deborah Ababio, Vogue’s Global Entertainment Director.”

words: Mwai Yeboah

She walked into our beautiful boutique hotel in Accra, Ghana, wearing a bright orange suit, and a big smile and she gave me the biggest hug! I knew then that I was not speaking to Vogue’s global entertainment director but to Deborah, my sister, my friend, a young Black African woman with a story to tell and share.

For the interview, we went to a beautiful African restaurant where you’d expect that we’d order rice with chicken and vegetables and use normal cutlery, but, no, Deborah reminded me why I love my beloved continent of Africa, and why I am who I am … we ordered hot goat soup and Fufu (pounded plantain and yam) and used our bare hands to eat just like we would in our homes around the table with family. I knew then that we were kindred spirits.

I’ve followed Deborah’s journey for a long time and it’s an honour that I was able to creatively direct her shoot, hear her thoughts, and tell her story. Shooting this Fifty Four mag editorial in Jamestown, Ghana has so much meaning for Deborah’s story. Like the town itself, it’s one of resilience and hope. Sit back and enjoy her personal journey revealed and the beautiful images captured by British-Ghanaian Photographer Danny Wonders.

This is Deborah Ababio.

Q: In your career, you rose from an executive assistant to Edward Enninful to the global entertainment director role for Vogue. Can you tell us what that journey was like and what role resilience played in it?

Deborah: As an African woman, I think resilience is automatically in our DNA, but to be honest, the journey was long before Edward. I originally wanted to be a fashion designer and I went to the prestigious University of the Arts London, London College of Fashion where I studied fashion, textiles, and embroidery. Basically, that was the trajectory I was hoping for – to be a designer and have my own brand. I always wanted to be creative – either something to do with drama or working with my hands. I wasn’t as academic as my siblings, and I used to stutter a lot when I took drama classes, so I decided maybe fashion was the best route and path in this life.

Deborah Ababio wears jumpsuit by Tongoro, Hair by Nikiwe Dlova and Make-up by Zara Nasara Ibrahim-Tanko

photos: Danny Wonders

Deborah Ababio wears top and trousers by Andrea Iyamah, Hair by Nikiwe Dlova and Make-up by Zara Nasara Ibrahim-Tanko