Entertainment of Monday, 6 July 2020

Source: mynewsgh.com

I am not ‘bewitching’ my son - Kwadee’s mother replies Lord Kenya

Madam Cecilia Atootalega, Mother of Ghanaian Hip-Life Musician, Okomfour Kwadee Madam Cecilia Atootalega, Mother of Ghanaian Hip-Life Musician, Okomfour Kwadee

The mother of Ghanaian hiplife musician, Jerry Johnson Anaba, well known as Okomfour Kwadee, says she is not responsible for her son’s dementia neither has she relent in the fight for Kwadee’s recovery, MyNewsGh.com reports.

Madam Cecilia Atootalega in an exclusive interview with DJ Slim of Kumasi-based Pure FM’s ‘For the Culture’ entertainment program monitored by MyNewsGh.com revealed that rapper-turned-pastor, Lord Kenya has taken upon himself to create an impression to the general public that the family is responsible for Kwadee’s prolonged stay in rehabilitation facilities.

Lord Kenya had earlier said in media interviews that he is appalled the family of his former colleague has deliberately prevented persons with good intentions from visiting Kwadee or offering any form of assistance to him and has sought to seek an injunction on persons allowed to visit the now derailed musician.

He told Andy Dosty of Hitz FM that ‘the family’s legal notice is suspicious as it comes at a time when Kwadee is getting better especially with the help of industry people who have his interest at heart’.

He claimed that the family had failed to help the rapper after taking him from the rehab previously.

But Kwadee’s mother in a reaction for the first time stated she has not threatened to sue Pastor Lord Kenya neither has she threatened to sue anyone who wants to help Kwadee but the Willing Ways rehabilitation facility at Ejisu Krapa in the Ashanti region led by the administrator, Madam Abena Manu Lydia has been profiting from Kwadee by releasing him to some individuals to play concerts across the Country without the family’s consent and notice and also pocketing the proceeds from such events.

She reckoned that to the family, such continued phenomena stalls the progress her son is making citing an instance where Kwadee was reported to have been given a substance believed to be marijuana to smoke after he was released by the facility to perform at one of Ghana’s radio and television awards scheme.

“I am not the one bewitching my son and I would want my son to recover more than anyone. Although we have had an estranged relationship in the past, Kwadee in his prime never turned his back to the family so it will be in my best interest to ensure that my son returns to normalcy so he can take care of us now that we are aging.

"We need help and graciously Hammer Nti and his team are helping us but that alone cannot be enough so how can I turn people who have offered to help my son away?

"I have not threatened to sue Lord Kenya. I can’t do that because I am the one who called on him in the first place to assist my son because I believed he had in the past experienced and survived an [rehabilitation] experience before.

“The injunction was against unsuspecting persons who have been profiting from Kwadee without the family’s notice and consent and also the rehab facility who has been releasing my son to these persons.

"I took them to legal aid to ensure that my son focuses and recovers.” Madam Cecilia Atootalega told DJ Slim.

The ‘Fie Nipa’ hitmaker, Okomfour Kwadee has for the past twelve years been in and out of rehabilitation facilities after suffering a mental breakdown on suspicion of drug abuse. He has for the last six years spent his days at the Willing Ways Foundation Rehabilitation Centre at Ejisu Krapa.

Kwadee, with his powerful and traditional lyrics that are very typical of the true Ghanaian in the early 2000’s took hiplife to a completely different level. In the first of its kind, Okomfour went back to the grassroots narrating stories (just like in anansesem) while rhyming. His style held everyone both old and young spellbound while impacting the very useful experience and advice on the listeners.

In 2007, his song ‘Ka Wo Nan To So’ won the Ghana Music Award for Best Original Song/lyrics.