Before the advent of telling stories on film and disseminating them via social media, beautiful African tales remained untold. Today though, thanks to Wode Maya YouTube channel and ilk, the world has something great to say about Africa. The Ghanaian YouTuber who taunts himself as the Village Boy or Mr Ghana Baby chose to showcase the unique and special things about Africa and her people. As an aeronautical engineering student in China, Maya (Berthold Kobby Winkler Ackon) took the challenge to show the world the other side of Africa. His passion to tell the world about the continent saw him brand himself Wode Maya, which is Chinese for My Mother.
Is Wode Maya a Ghanaian?
Wode Maya. Photo/The African Courier
Berthold Kobby Winkler Ackon is a full-bred 32-year-old Ghanaian digital influencer otherwise known as Wode Maya YouTube. He grew up in Ahenkrofi, Western Ghana and was sharp in academics so he chose to pursue engineering at Shenyang Aerospace University in China. He was initially to fly to the UK in 2012 after getting a scholarship to study there but was denied a UK visa. Luck was on his side and he landed an admission to the Chinese University and left.
How Much Money Does Wode Maya Make?
Wode Maya YouTube net worth in 2023 is $730,000 and counting. His channel has 1.27 million subscribers. Maya opened his YouTube channel in 2013 but it wasn’t active as it is now. In 2017, he posted a video on the channel seated alone on a train while fellow Chinese passengers sat on one side because of his skin colour. It gained a lot of interest and he eventually decided to give vlogging a chance and quit his engineering job. He has toured Africa extensively telling different stories, especially those on empowerment. His channel is a library of stories about African diaspora returnees and their stories of success back home.
They give an unfiltered account of the real hustle in Europe and the quality of life back home compared to being abroad. And most of them, wouldn’t trade Africa for any other continent. Take their word for it! “Life isn’t easy in the US, UK and Europe as a whole! You work endlessly and never have time for yourself….the American dream is fast life and if you can’t keep up, you end up frustrated,” a Kenyan returnee tells See Africa Today.
Wode Maya YouTube channel has dozen inspiring videos focusing on the development of Africa. His intent is to show the unseen potential in Africa and he brings the main players in these sectors to send the message home. Key African diplomats and leaders have graced this his channel at one point. Among them is former Ghanaian president John Kufuor, Kenyan law scholar Prof. PLO Lumumba, Innocent Ifediaso Chukwuma, Innoson the CEO of Vehicle Manufacturing Company Limited.
Wode Maya enjoys 1.27 million subscribers on his YouTube channel, a number that keeps him sleepless over hacking. In late February 2023, he lost the channel for days to hackers who employed a hacking strategy known as ‘microstrategy’. He had lost at least 300,000 subscribers by the time he recovered the YouTube page.
Is Wode Maya Married?
Miss Trudy, Wode Maya’s wife. Photo/Nairobi News
Kenyan YouTuber Gertrude Awino Juma, alias Miss Trudy is Wode Maya’s legally married wife. They exchanged vows in September 2022. They first met in Ethiopia where they were working separately on Ethiopian content. Mr Ghanababy messaged her several times on Instagram and finally, things started rolling.
On September 10, 2022, Wode Maya and six other Ghanaians jetted into the country and wedded Miss Trudy in a low-key event that cost them $1000. Incidentally, this was the 10th year that Miss Trudy’s family was celebrating the memories of her mother who died on the same day in 2012.
