S2/E12: Motherhood Isn’t Mandatory: Doreen Akiyo Yomoah Challenges African Cultural Norms

Guest Name:Doreen Akiyo Yomoah Summary:This interview with Ms. Doreen Yomoha explores the African immigrant experience, identity, and the decision to be child-free. It offers insights into cultural challenges, personal choices, and societal expectations faced by first-generation Africans in the diaspora. While browsing on the BBC website, I came across a conversation on its podcast called Choosing to be childfree, featuring two women of African origin who have decided not to have children. Both Doreen Akiyo Yomoah and Nina Steele were the guests on the show. Steele is from Ivory Coast, and she is the founder of Nonparents.com. I tried to get both of these guests on the podcast but, I could only reach Yomoah. She agreed to come to have a conversation with me on Pánsá Pánsá podcast to present her perspective on being child-free and the mission of Childfree Africa. Yomoah was born in Accra, Ghana, and she was raised in Tokyo and upstate New York. She has lived in Shanghai, Accra, London, Dakar, and presently in Geneva, Switzerland. Experienced writer and researcher working in international development. Skilled in report writing, policy analysis, and communications. Holder of an M.A. in peace studies from the University of Bradford and a B.A. from Michigan State University. She was committed to bringing an intersectional lens to sustainable development.In my conversation with Yomoah, we discussed her challenges/struggles of being a first-generation African immigrant child growing up in Japan, the United States, and many parts of the world she has and continues to call home. During our conversation, we talked about Yomoah’s dual identity as an African and a person of color living in these different parts of the world. Yomoah sees herself as a “Third Culture Kid,” which means children who grew up in a culture or culture other than their parents or the country of their birth. After talking about Yomoah’s background, we jumped into the main topic of being childfree and the fundamental decision to launch such phenomenal discussion to a broader audience through blogging and interviews. As I commented during the interview, I can see her argument of being child-free because not everyone should or have the capacity of being a parent. There are differences between giving birth to a child and parenting a child. Parenting a child demands both emotional and financial responsivity and parental availability in a child's life. We also briefly talked about feminism and its meaning to diverse women from different backgrounds and differences in struggles. To learn more about Childfree Africa, please visit the website childfreeafrican.com or follow on Instagram @ childfree_africaKey Topics:Challenges of growing up as an African immigrant in Japan and the USThe concept of third culture kids and identity formationThe decision to be child-free and societal pressuresCultural and religious values influencing personal choicesThe evolution of feminism among women of colorKeywordsAfrican immigrants, identity, child-free, cultural challenges, diaspora, Ghana, Japan, United States, Switzerland, feminism, societal expectationsChapters:01:20 Doreen Akiyo Yomoah's Background and Journey03:34 Challenges of Growing Up as an Immigrant Child07:00 Navigating Identity and Belonging10:13 Conversations on Race and Identity11:31 Understanding the Third Culture Kid Experience13:25 Social Integration in College15:46 Parenting Conversations and Cultural Differences18:27 The Child-Free Choice and Its Implications22:08 Child-Free vs. Childless: Understanding the Distinction23:35 Navigating Societal Expectations on Parenthood26:01 The Pressure of Cultural Norms29:17 Finding Community in Child-Free Choices33:39 Challenging Traditional Values and Beliefs36:31 Understanding Feminism Across Cultures40:47 Respecting Choices: The Child-Free Perspective44:33 Advice for the Childless and Child-Free Aspirants