Grace Nortey laid to rest as family, colleagues and fans bid farewell

Veteran actress Grace Naa Kwarley Nortey, known to generations of Ghanaians as Maame Gyata, was given her final farewell on Saturday, October 31, 2026, at the forecourt of the State House in Accra. She died on August 26 at the University of Ghana Medical Centre, aged 89.

Her remains arrived at the forecourt escorted by the Ghana Armed Forces. Mourners took turns filing past her body, beginning with her family, in a farewell marked by tears.

Among those who came to pay their respects were actor and Ayawaso West Wuogon MP John Dumelo, media personality Berla Mundi and her husband David Tabi.

Fellow actors including veterans Grace Omaboe, known as Maame Dokono, Edinam Atatsi, Dinah Gbartey, Kofi Adjorlolo among others also came out to mourn their departed colleague.

Born on February 1, 1937, Mrs Nortey came from the Sawyerr family of Accra and Sierra Leone. Her children say she lost both parents at a young age and grew up with different relatives, and later built a home “filled with love” with her husband, Archibald Nortey.

The couple had five children: Vida Enchill, Andriana Nortey, Barbara Tabi, Sheila Nortey and Rita Nortey. Sheila is also an actress.

She worked with the Ghana Education Service before pursuing radio and acting, and went on to spend more than five decades in theatre, television and film. In the 1970s she hosted Nyeawokoshie, a radio programme aimed at Ga women.

Her screen credits include Obra, Osofo Dadzie, Nana Akoto, Escape to Love, Ties That Bind and Sinking Sands. In 2015 she appeared in the internationally acclaimed Beasts of No Nation, playing the Old Witch Woman.

She was known for strong, outspoken female characters.

Her children remembered a mother who made them learn to cook, clean and iron, disciplined them when needed, and served with their father at the Anglican Church in Osu and later at the Anglican Church of the Transfiguration in Haatso.

The Ghana Actors Guild said her work laid the ground on which most Ghanaian actors continue to build.

It also noted her concerns about the welfare of ageing actors, and said: “If we truly honour our pioneers, we must protect, appreciate their contributions and listen to the wisdom while they are still alive.”

The funeral rites continue on Sunday, November 1, with a thanksgiving service at St Barnabas Anglican Church in Osu at 8:00 am.