Ghanaian Afro-pop artist Sista Afia has opened up about the religious tensions within her family that accompanied her decision to pursue secular music, revealing that her relatives never came to terms with the path she chose despite the success it has brought her.
Speaking on Kumasi-based Angel FM, the singer born Francisca Duncan Williams Gawugah said her family background made her career choice particularly loaded. Her family is deeply rooted in religion, and as a relative of Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams, one of Ghana’s most prominent Christian leaders, the decision to make secular music rather than gospel was met with disappointment from those closest to her.
“Archbishop Duncan-Williams has never complained about my music,” she said, drawing a distinction between the broader family’s disapproval and the Archbishop’s personal stance toward her work.
She said she has never directly discussed her music business with Archbishop Duncan-Williams despite the family connection, and that his silence on the matter has differed from the sentiments expressed by other relatives. Rather than seek approval or walk back her ambitions, she said she made her choice and committed to it, a posture she credits for the recognition she has since earned in the Ghanaian music industry.
Sista Afia has built a consistent career since returning to Ghana in 2015 to pursue music full-time after a stint as a nurse in the United Kingdom. She has won the Best Female Music Act category at the Ghana Entertainment Awards in the United States on multiple occasions and has collaborated with prominent artists including Shatta Wale, Sarkodie and Kelvynboy.
