Exciting yet an enigmatic personality, Charles Kwadwo Fosu, affectionately called Daddy Lumba, certainly cannot be ignored, even for many years to come.
Though dead, his songs echo through the Ghanaian space, establishing him as one of Ghana’s most loved and even controversial sons.
This great lyricist made his personal life struggles, love themes and realities of life part of the Ghanaian thought and psyche.
Every song he wrote or co-authored and sang pointed to a milestone on his epic musical and life journey.
Thrusting himself onto the Ghanaian music scene with the classic, “Yee Ye Aka Akwantuomu”, which surely resonates with the Ghanaian diaspora, where many undocumented people are in a lockdown.
They are in a limbo. Having invested all they have to relocate abroad for a better life, their goals have to be put on hold because they lack the documents to seek the economic paradise they see around them.
It is a torture that many cannot bear, and those who endure it bear the scars of humiliation, delayed destiny and a past which cannot be recalled without pain and sorrow.
For many, returning home empty-handed is not even an option because the Ghanaian society is not kind to a poor returnee.
One of his songs, “Odofo pa ama ntem”, tells the pain a man faces during his love journey. Having waded through a turbulent sea of heartbreaks and self-inflicted pain, he succumbs to a different kind of love that uplifts him into a blissful union, but it happens too late. What a tapestry woven by this master lyricist.
He wrote his autobiography and obituary, knowing very well that the controversy that will follow his death could blur the kind of image he had constructed even after his exit.
Other themes he forcefully pushed were poverty and the allure of riches. Once again, he lures many into this tang,o which continues in the affairs of men in perpetuity. What money can do, poverty can never do, he yells in some of his songs. And it is true. In Ghana, the upper class has it all: power, pleasure and glory.
Many love affairs have gone sour because of the inability of men to adequately provide for their women. He explores this theme and paints a tragedy not just because he is melancholic, but also serves as a Ghanaian reality or the reality of an unequal society.
In a society where the ability of men to provide is the standard of measuring masculinity and love, the ultimate goal of most men is to achieve financial success. The inability to achieve that goal is both tragic and humiliating.
Kwadwo Fosu’s personal experience and his drive to make it in life are inspirational. Now, the fact confronting many is that after achieving success and comfort, the old demons appear like phantoms mocking one’s success. Could one go back to the past to win all those lost battles? It sounds illusional, but the world itself could be an illusion and fleeting. He was aware of this encounter, and he expressed his opinion on this philosophical question.
His ability to write rejoinders through songs is intriguing, and the power of casting insinuations makes his songs the favourite of Ghanaians because they love insinuations. Insinuations are the tools of mockery and triumph for many, especially boyfriend snatchers, tenants in crowded rental spaces and those in polygamous relationships. It bites deep and can also be pleasurable for some.
As they say in Ghana, “akutia biara nim ne wura”, to wit, those who insinuations are directed at, know.
He was also in the business of offering hope for the crestfallen, the hustler and the downtrodden. Hope is certainly a virtue that keeps the weak in pursuit of their objectives, and they could relate to that.
From a backwater community into the limelight of global musical bliss, he knew that such a transformation could be anybody’s story too. He never forgot his humble background and would use it to inspire many.
He openly acknowledged his helpers and serenaded them.
Lumba exalted motherhood and womanhood, making him a poster boy and true believer in the matriarchal way of life. His love for his mother echoed through his musical journey, and that was rather thoughtful of him as a typical Ashanti and Akan. Akans hitherto paid little attention to fatherhood.
Death and the uncertainties of life have bothered many, but why he spent so much time exploring these themes is intriguing. Perhaps, he was also caught in the illusion of immortality.
“Ankwanoma and Makra mo”, are not the only master strokes on farewell, but these two provide an intimate connection and feelings about human mortality.
The reality of the human fleeting life and the fact that humans can seek eternity through their works on earth is amply amplified in his songs.
Though many have tried to leave a lasting impression on generations, very few have survived beyond their time.
His appreciation of Asante history and cosmology helped him to convey messages related to culture and spirituality effortlessly.
Daddy Lumba will certainly enjoy a long life after death through his exciting and thought-provoking lyrics as he provided an anthem for every occasion and life situation.
Daddy Lumba produced about thirty albums. He died at the age of sixty years.