‘My Pen is My Weapon for Change’: Lydia Forson’s Stirring Graduation Speech on Art, Activism, and Coming Home

LEGON, ACCRA — Twenty years after walking off the University of Ghana campus swearing never to look back, award-winning actress Lydia Forson returned to the Great Hall on Saturday as a guest speaker carrying the weight of a full-circle moment that left graduands and faculty visibly moved.

Delivering the keynote address at the final day of the University of Ghana’s February Congregation Ceremonies for the College of Humanities, Ms. Forson laid bare the struggles that marked her time as a student, revealing a story of frustration, misunderstanding, and eventual redemption that resonated across the packed auditorium .

“My last year here wasn’t pleasant. In many ways, it marked the beginning of one of the hardest periods of my life,” Ms. Forson told the gathering of graduates, university leadership, faculty members, and families. “When I left this university, I left angry. I left hurt. And I left carrying a lot of resentment.”

The actress, known for her trailblazing work in Ghana’s film industry, confessed that her academic journey was anything but smooth. “To be honest, I barely made it out of here. It was by the skin of my teeth. And when I did, I walked off this campus and swore never to look back.”

The February 2026 congregation ceremonies marked a significant milestone for the university, with 15,288 graduands receiving degrees across 17 sessions, including 153 PhD candidates, 4,197 master’s graduates, 10,543 undergraduates, and 395 diploma holders .

Saturday’s College of Humanities ceremony specifically celebrated graduates from the university’s largest college, with the Great Hall serving as the backdrop for what became an unexpectedly emotional homecoming.

Presiding over the ceremony was Professor Felix Ankomah Asante, Pro Vice-Chancellor of the Research and Innovation Directorate, who urged graduates to strive for excellence in their future endeavors .

“Graduating students, today we celebrate the completion of your academic programs as well as the boldness and confidence with which you step into the next stage of your lives. Congratulations and best wishes to you all,” Professor Asante said, while also highlighting the university’s strong performance in the 2026 Times Higher Education World University Rankings .

University Vice-Chancellor Professor Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, who spoke during the broader congregation ceremonies, congratulated all graduating students for their hard work and resilience, noting that they are now well-equipped to enter the world of work and contribute meaningfully to national and global development .

The ceremony, which had veteran actress Lydia Forson as the guest speaker, also provided a platform to celebrate exceptional academic achievement. Among those honored was Ms. Mofiyinfoluwa Motunrayo Samuel, a Nigerian scholar who was named the valedictorian for her graduating cohort within the College of Humanities during that very session. Ms. Samuel graduated with an impressive Final Cumulative Grade Point Average (FCGPA) of 3.95 in her Bachelor of Arts degree in French and Linguistics . While Emmanuel Nana Yaw Appeagyei was named the overall Valedictorian for the entire College of Humanities with a near-perfect 3.99 FGPA , Ms. Samuel’s remarkable feat stood as a shining example of the academic excellence on display at the event.

However, it was Lydia Forson’s raw, unfiltered address that became the talk of the ceremony. Standing before an audience that included the Chancellor’s Representative, University Council members, the Vice-Chancellor, Pro-Vice-Chancellors, the Registrar, Provost of the College of Humanities, and members of the College of Humanities Advisory Board, the actress admitted that preparing the speech forced her to confront years of unexamined pain.

“For years, I carried a story of frustration. Of feeling unseen and misunderstood,” she said. “But writing this speech forced me to confront something I hadn’t fully acknowledged: that for years, I held on to everything that went wrong, instead of recognising the many things that went right.”

Ms. Forson proceeded to dismantle her own narrative of victimhood, acknowledging that while her time at the university was marked by struggle, it was equally defined by growth and formation.

“This campus shaped me,” she declared. “It’s here I learned independence, got my first job and where I tested my entrepreneurial instincts. It’s here that I handed out my very first complimentary card as a marketing executive, with absolutely no experience, just passion and audacity.”

The actress credited the university with launching her media career, recalling that she got her first stint on television as a student, gained popularity, and opened doors to the career she has today .

“This is also where I built confidence, through struggle, resistance and through everything I had to fight for,” Ms. Forson added. “So yes, there was struggle. There was hurt. There were a lot of tears. There was disappointment. But there was also growth, pride and becoming.”

Her message to graduates was unequivocal: “As you step into the next chapter of your lives, do not discard parts of your journey just because they were difficult. Do not carry only the good and pretend the bad never happened. Carry all of it. The good. The bad. Even the ugly.”

In an unexpected turn, Ms. Forson pivoted from addressing graduates to speaking directly to the university’s academic staff; a moment that drew visible attention from faculty members seated in the front rows.

“Beyond speaking to the graduating class, I want to gently speak to every lecturer, every academic, every member of staff who contributes to shaping young minds,” she said. “Universities do not merely confer degrees. They shape human beings.”

Quoting her father, Forson noted that “education is meant to make us fit to live and to believe with, not just to earn with.” She reminded faculty that learning extends beyond lecture halls into friendships, late-night conversations, hall weeks, parties, and even heartbreaks.”All of that is education,” she insisted.

The actress challenged the academic community to examine their role in students’ lives: “Who are you in someone’s story? Because there were lecturers who saw potential in us before we saw it in ourselves. There were people who chose to build rather than break.”

“Will you be remembered as the person who made a student feel small? Or the one who made them feel seen? The voice that discouraged, or the voice that affirmed?” she asked. “Because sometimes it only takes one sentence to diminish someone. But it also only takes one sentence to change the trajectory of a life.”

In a revelation that drew applause from the audience, Ms. Forson announced that her return to campus has prompted her to finally pursue a long-overdue master’s degree at the university .

“Now that all of this is off my chest, I can finally and proudly say congratulations to all of us,” she said. “Because in a way, this is my graduation too. I never came for mine. And standing here today feels like closing one chapter and opening another as I’m finally coming back to study again.”

As she concluded her speech, Forson left graduates with a final exhortation: “Hold on to it all. Hold on to the friendships. Hold on to the lessons. Hold on to the moments that tested you. Because one day, you will look back, not with bitterness, but with clarity. And you will realise that even the chapters you wanted to erase were shaping the person you needed to become.”

“To my fellow graduates,” she added with emphasis, “Go boldly. Go fearlessly. And carry your entire story with you.”