Celebrated Ghanaian model, cultural curator and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Shea Butter Museum, Hamamat Montia, has revealed that she faced ridicule and suspicion when she began her cultural preservation journey two decades ago.
Speaking on Starr Chat with Bola Ray on Starr 103.5 FM on Thursday, February 5, 2026, Hamamat Montia said her decision to return to the village and immerse herself in traditional practices was widely misunderstood at the time.
“My main focus is to preserve our tradition, and I tell you, 20 years ago when I started, people were calling me names,” she said. According to her, some questioned why she was seen in villages, covered with herbs and wearing traditional attire, describing her as “mad” or accusing her of practising “juju.”
The former Miss Malaika queen explained that at the time, it was not considered respectable for an educated woman or a beauty queen to openly associate with village life and indigenous practices. “Back then it wasn’t proud for people to show that they came from a village hut, and I was doing it,” she said.
She noted that many people struggled to reconcile her background with her chosen path. “They would say, an educated girl, a beauty queen who travelled the world… how come she’s going to sit in the village?” she recalled.
Despite the criticism, Montia said she remained convinced that her decision was purposeful. She described it as a calling to return home and reconnect with ancestral knowledge. “Sometimes your calling is to go back home,” she said, adding that success does not always lie in migrating abroad.
Montia stressed that Africa holds immense, often overlooked value within its natural and cultural resources. “There is value in that palm kernel oil. There is value even in our sand, our sun, our trees, our seeds, our rocks,” she stated.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
