Joseph Otsiman

Joseph Otsiman is a Ghanaian actor born in 1989 in Sekondi-Takoradi, the twin-city port on Ghana's Western Region coast, who has built his professional career largely from New York, where he has developed the theatrical training and screen presence that earned him two Africa Movie Academy Award nominations. His work in two critically regarded films of the 2010s gave him an international profile that places him among the more visible Ghanaian actors working at the intersection of diaspora and homeland filmmaking.

Early theatre and training

Otsiman's introduction to performance came through school productions, and by the time he reached high school he had committed seriously enough to the craft to pursue theatrical opportunities beyond the classroom. A significant early experience was his participation in a touring production of The Marriage of Anansewa, the Efua Sutherland play that is among the foundational texts of Ghanaian theatrical tradition, which toured both Ghana and the United Kingdom in 2006. That exposure to professional staging and international audiences shaped the rigour he would bring to his later screen work. He subsequently relocated to New York, where he continued developing his craft in one of the world's most demanding theatrical environments.

The Cursed Ones and The Burial of Kojo

His first major screen recognition came with The Cursed Ones (2015), a British-Ghanaian production directed by Nana Obiri Yeboah in which he played Pastor John Moses. The performance earned him a nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role at the 2016 Africa Movie Academy Awards. Three years later he delivered the performance that would define his career to that point: the role of Kojo Bonsu in Blitz Bazawule's The Burial of Kojo (2018), a visually ambitious film in which his character, left to die in an abandoned gold mine, must be rescued by his young daughter travelling through a spirit world. The film won multiple awards at the 2019 Africa Movie Academy Awards, and Otsiman's central performance earned him a Best Actor in a Leading Role nomination, his second AMAA recognition in three years.

Acting Legacy

Joseph Otsiman has established himself as one of the more serious screen actors to emerge from the Ghanaian diaspora in New York. His two AMAA nominations reflect a body of work defined by craft and a consistent commitment to projects that prioritise storytelling quality. His journey from Sekondi-Takoradi through a Sutherland tour to the international award circuit is a reminder of how far Ghanaian theatrical training can carry a determined performer.