Ruby Yayra Goka (born 15 May 1982,

Accra Accra (; or ''Gaga''; ; Ewe: Gɛ; ) is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , had a population of ...

) is a

Ghanaian The Ghanaian people are a nation originating in the Gold Coast (region), Ghanaian Gold Coast. Ghanaians predominantly inhabit the Republic of Ghana and are the predominant cultural group and residents of Ghana, numbering 34 million people as of ...

dentist and author. She is best known for being a multiple Burt Award for African Literature winner in Ghana. Goka, who is an alumnus of the University of Ghana Dental School, currently heads the Dental Department of the

Ho Teaching Hospital Ho Teaching Hospital formerly ''Volta Regional Hospital'' and popularly known as Trafalgar is the regional and teaching hospital in Ho in the Volta Region of Ghana. It was the main referral facility in the Volta Region until it was upgraded to a ...

Life

Born in

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

, Goka was born to Simon Yao Goka, a retired

diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...

and Lydia Aku Goka, a stay-at-home-mother. When Ruby was two years old, her family moved to

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

, where she attended the Peter Pan International School. When she was six, her family moved back to Ghana and she continued her basic and secondary education at the St. Anthony's School (1988–96) and

Achimota School Achimota School (Help:IPA/English, /ɑːtʃimoʊtɑː/ ), formerly Prince of Wales College and School at Achimota, later Achimota College, now nicknamed Motown, is a co-educational boarding school located at Achimota in Accra, Greater Accra Reg ...

(1996–99) respectively both in Accra. She obtained a BDS from the

University of Ghana The University of Ghana is a public university located in Accra, Ghana. It is the oldest public university in the country. The university was founded in 1948 as the University College of the Gold Coast in the British colony of the Gold Coast ...

Dental School in 2009 and worked for two years at the

Ridge Hospital Accra The Greater Accra Regional Hospital (GARH), formerly the Ridge Hospital, is a major regional hospital located in Accra, Ghana. History and background Located in the heart of Accra city, the GARH started as a hospital for European expatriates in ...

, in Accra. She later moved to Sogakofe, where she worked for two years at the South Tongu District Hospital. She is a fellow of the

Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

after completing her residency training at the

Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital The Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital(KATH) also known as GEE after the name of its contractors Messrs. GEE Walter & Slater in Kumasi, Ashanti Region, Ghana, is the second-largest hospital in Ghana, and the only tertiary health institution in the ...

, Kumasi in 2016 and her fellowship training at the University of Ghana Dental School, Accra in 2023. She currently heads the Dental Department of the

, Ho. In 2017, Goka won an award in the Authorship and Creative Writing Category in the 40 under 40 awards in Ghana. She was also awarded a Medical Excellence Award in Dentistry in the same year. Goka is a 2017 Mandela Washington Fellow.

Bibliography

Adult Books:
''Disfigured''
(2011)
''In The Middle of Nowhere''
(2011) Young Adult Books:
''The Mystery of The Haunted House''
(2010)
''The Lost Royal Treasure''
(2011)
''When the Shackles Fall''
(2012)
''Those Who Wait ''
(2012)
''Perfectly Imperfect''
(2013)
''Plain Yellow''
(2014)
''The Step-Monster''
(2015)
''To Kiss A Girl''
(2018)
''Whatever It Takes''
(2019)
''Blast To The Past''
(2020)
''Girl On Fire''
(2020)
''Even When Your Voice Shakes''
(2022)
''The Broken Wall''
(2024)
''On the Inside''
(2024) Children Books:
''A Gift for Fafa''
* ''Tani’s Wish'' (2016)
''Mama’s Amazing Cover Cloth''
(2018) * ''My ABC Book of Special Words'' (2021) * ''Sela Gets a Haircut'' (2024)
''Xornam Xonexoe''
(2024)
''Grandma and the Goat Thief''
(2024) Anthologies: * ''Mother, Anthology of writing on mothers'' (contribution: "The ABCs of Motherhood")

Awards

* Monteiro Lobato FNLIJ Award 2023 ''(Mesmo Quando sua voz Falar)'' * Rise: A feminist Book Project for Ages 0-18 Honour Book 2023 ''(Even When Your Voice Shakes)'' * Efua Sutherland Children's Book Prize 2022/Ghana Association of Writers' Children's Story Prize ''(Even When Your Voice Shakes)'' * Brittle Paper's 100 Notable African Books of 2022 ''(Even When Your Voice Shakes)'' * Books for Keeps Ten of the Best: Books from the Commonwealth 2022 ''(Even When Your Voice Shakes)'' * Kirkus Review 2022 ''(Even When Your Voice Shakes)'' * School Library Journal Review 2022 ''(Even When Your Voice Shakes)'' * Efua Sutherland Children's Book Prize 2021/Ghana Association of Writers' Children's Story Prize ''(Trotro Trio: A Blast to the Past)'' * Women in Sports Collection 2020 ''(Girl on Fire)'' * IBBY Honour Book 2020 (Mama's Amazing ''Cover Cloth)'' * Efua Sutherland Children's Book Prize 2020/Ghana Association of Writers' Children's Story Prize ''(Mama's Amazing Cover Cloth)'' * CABA Honour Book 2019 ''(Mama's Amazing Cover Cloth)'' * Ayi Kwei Armah Award 2019/Ghana Association of Writers Novel Prize ''(To Kiss a Girl)'' (2019) * Inspire Us Book Collection 2019: Honour Book (''Whatever it Takes'') (2019) * The Professor Kofi Awoonor Literary Prize 2018: Second runner-up ''(In the Middle of Nowhere)'' * Efua Sutherland Book Prize 2018/Ghana Association of Writers' Children's Story Prize ''(A Gift for Fafa)'' * Ayi Kwei Armah Award 2018/Ghana Association of Writers' Novel Prize Runner-up ''(In the Middle of Nowhere)'' * Burt Award for African Literature 2018 ''(To Kiss a Girl)'' * CODE Burt Award for Ghanaian Young Adult Literature 2018 ''(The Broken Wall)'' * CODE Burt Award for Young Adult Literature: All Star Edition 2017 ''(The Step-Monster)'' * Medical Excellence Award—Dentist category (2017) * 40 under 40 award: Authorship and creative writing (2017) * Burt Award for African Young Adult Literature (2017) (Finalist) * Ghana Writers’ Awards—Short Story Category (2017) (Finalist) * Burt Award for African Young Adults (2017) (Honour Prize) * Burt Award for African Literature (2015) (First Prize) * Burt Award for African Literature (2014) (Second Prize) * Burt Award for African Literature (2013) (First Prize) * Burt Award for African Literature (2012) (Second Prize) * Burt Award for African Literature (2012) (Honourable Mention) * Burt Award for African Literature (2011) (Second Prize) * Burt Award for African Literature (2010) (Third Prize)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goka, Ruby Yayra 1982 births Living people Ghanaian women writers Ghanaian women poets Academic staff of the University of Ghana People from Accra 20th-century Ghanaian writers 21st-century Ghanaian writers 20th-century Ghanaian women writers 21st-century Ghanaian women writers Ghanaian dentists Alumni of Achimota School University of Ghana alumni