He was lionized, envied, romanticized, even worshipped.
He was one of the gifts for a society hungry for true heroes.
People paid good money to watch his concerts.
He occupied one of the glittering pedestals in the Ghanaian music industry.
In all of its dimensions, he was a winner in the industry. I am talking about the magnetic Daddy Lumba.
One sobering reality must be injected here. Daddy Lumba was humble, showed deference, and mingled.
Still, all was not sweetness and light in the journey of the Lumba Brothers that had Ernest Nana Acheampong as the other composer.
After a few hit albums they split and each went solo. When they splitted the klieg lighting remained on them. It attracted multiple-digit incomes and more outgoes for the two.
In a peripatetic profession with the privilege of meeting a lot of people, I rue the fact that the opportunity did not present itself to meet with two key Ghanaian personalities. These were former UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan and top musician, Charles Kwadwo Fosu, popularly called “Daddy Lumba.”
The death on July 26, 2025, of the latter sent cold shivers down my spine, and this re-echoed the condition rumoured to have caused the death of the musician – the alleged spine problem. Indeed, there is a video of him asserting that it was his chronic headache.
However, we are in a poor position to pronounce the actual cause of death as official statement stops short of that.
In the salutation of tributes to Daddy Lumba, reference ought to be made to his maiden song. It stood in the name of the “Lumba Brothers.” The “Ye ya ka akwantuom” clip was a bang.
In the Queen’s language, the title of the song means “Necessity has trapped us in foreign land.” It turned the fans on because the entire genre did not fall in the familiar zone.
Generally, Lumba songs are replete with local proverbs which also appeals to people in the hinterlands of Ghana. The acoustics in instrumentals such as bass guitar, the piano and disco drums are unique.
These, coupled with the hummed voice of Daddy Lumba, catapulted his brand of highlife music to dizzying heights.
The progressive albums also rocked his audiences. Daddy Lumba’s songs were always a hit and vibrated social occasions and other ceremonies – Funerals, parties, and commercial centres.
Also on top of his game, occasionally Nana Acheampong came across with his stirring repertoires.
A variant of showmanship which depicted the duo as “burgers,” they were sensational.The term referred to Ghanaian men who were domiciled in Germany, particularly the city of Hamburg.
With their jelly curled hairs, light-skins, and palazzos, they often arrived back in Ghana with a lot of pomp. Daddy Lumba appears to have pioneered Ghanaian musical clips that had the star performer surrounded with sexy dancers who were backing vocalists as well.
This style has been replicated by some local musicians. I am not delving into their implications on local culture.
The musician schooled at Juaben Asante, next to Asante Effiduase where I also started my secondary school. I therefore know the roots of his niche on stage. He depicted the fashion-craze of the male Ashanti schoolboy.
Controversies failed to dim the light of Daddy Lumba.
His celebrity status overshadowed all machinations and he was ever so tall in the music field. His death provoked an outpouring of grief and celebrations of his life. The dominant soundtracks he unleashed will echo in many hearts forever.
Ghana’s surviving former Heads of State and the current President have described Daddy Lumba as a cultural force and icon.
The mechanics of Daddy Lumba’s music career ought to be learned. Ofori Amponsah and the late Dada KD come close to his explosive romantic, social commentary type of music. These said, Daddy Lumba’s unexpected death caps a worrying trend, both in Ghana and abroad.
To wit, there is a nagging question, ” Why do popular, charismatic performers leave the stage so soon?” In Ghana, musicians like Ebony Reigns and Terrybonchaka died in their primes, just as the acting field took their blows from Suzie Williams, Kwame Owusu Ansah, Bishop Bernard Nyarko, you name it.
In sports, we can mention flair-abundant footballers who entertained the local scene in the late 1980s and 1990s such as Robert Ebo Eshun, Shamo Quaye, Joe Debrah, and Michael Osei.
In the police service, memories are still fresh for public relations practitioner, Angwubutoge Awuni and martial arts trainer and performer nicknamed as “Kweku Ninja.” Oh why? Why are the green foliages dropping off their stalks?
Throwing the searchlight afield, there was a Bob Marley who died at 36, a Whitney Houston who died at 48, a Marvin Gaye who died at 44 etc. Perhaps, governments need to establish special halls of fame not for awards but for the creation of safety valves through monitoring, counseling, and other forms of assistance to celebrities to improve their personal safety.
Though they may not be poor, we need to take interest in the safety of beloved performers for any mishap that befalls them represents pains in millions of people. In stating this, I am not downplaying their own sense of awareness and acuity. We love them so we want to complement them, if they need it.
In his lifetime, the Daddy Lumba fever hit all corners of the globe. Renowned Ghanaian filmmaker, Kow Ansah includes Daddy Lumba’s portrait among global greats in his Bisa Aberwa Museum at Nkontompo, Sekondi in the Western region of Ghana.
The personality behind this monument speaks volumes of meticulous choices to this hall of fame. Daddy Lumba is on the line up that includes King Bruce, E.T Mensah of Ramblers fame, and Jamaica’s Bob Marley.
In death, the fever-pitchiness of mourners in Germany, Canada, United Kingdom, United States, Italy, Holland and Ghana, would highlight the most, the luster of his public image as a musician.
Somebody suggests all 16 regions in Ghana must hold vigils owing to the demerits of a centralized funeral.
This opinion fears that a concentration of mourners at one spot could be undermined by rowdyism. This won’t be what the Asante Nsuta-born music hero would prefer.
The Ghanaian presidency has said, the man would be enriched with a state funeral. Oh, what a wow to an understatement. Daddy Lumba. Aben wo heaven.
Fare thee well, onua papabi.
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DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
