By: Nana Karikari, Senior Global Affairs Correspondent
The iconic Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi, the Ashanti Region, became the stage for Ghana’s most dramatic farewell. Thousands of mourners converged on the venue, transforming the atmosphere with the bittersweet sound of highlife—a melody of national grief and determined celebration. This was not just a funeral for Charles Kwadwo Fosu, Daddy Lumba, who passed away on July 26, 2025; it was the public closure of a long, painful legal and cultural conflict. Ghana finally laid its music king to rest, but not without a final twist of drama.
The Court’s Last Word: Custom and Conflict
The solemn ceremony was a public triumph over months of legal turmoil, which saw the final rites repeatedly postponed, from an initial December 6 date to the current date of December 13, 2025.
The final rites were only secured after a high court, balancing traditional customs against modern law, placed a last-minute condition on the feuding family factions. The core battle exposed a deep schism: the German-registered statutory marriage of Akosua Serwah Fosuh clashed directly with the customary recognition of Priscilla Ofori, “Odo Broni.” A Kumasi High Court ruling in November ultimately affirmed the legal standing of both women, as Akosua Serwaa failed to prove her sole surviving spouse status.
The court injunction, sought by Lumba’s maternal relatives and sister, specifically alleged their exclusion from planning and contested the Abusuapanyin’s sole authority over burial. Crucially, the suit also sought to compel an independent postmortem to determine the cause of death, citing conflicting accounts, and raised allegations of financial mismanagement concerning the “Daddy Lumba Memorial Foundation” funds. This was a powerful challenge to traditional Akan power structures.
In the final hours before the funeral, the court injunction was initially granted by an Accra High Court, restraining the Abusuapanyin and barring Transitions Funeral Home from releasing the body. However, the court’s ultimate decision to let the funeral
proceed came after the applicants failed to pay a GH₵2 million bond by the set deadline. This effectively cleared the way. A lawyer for the family head described the ruling as a “significant relief” that finally allowed the nation to mourn. The crisis was a critical reckoning between Ghana’s legal pluralism and the power of its customs.
Tears, Tributes, and High-Profile Attendance
The Lying-in-State ceremony was conducted at Heroes Park in Kumasi, where thousands queued to file past the highlife king’s casket.
The sight of Odo Broni weeping nearby was one of the day’s most humanizing moments. She had lived with the music legend for over 15 years. Her silent grief underscored the pain of the dispute over her status and the court’s November recognition of her legal standing as a surviving spouse. Crucially, the maternal family faction, including the main applicant, elder sister Ernestina Akosua Brimpomaa Fosu, and the first wife, Akosua Serwaa, were notably absent from the stadium, a visible final statement of the unresolved family conflict over the funeral authority and the demand for a postmortem.
The most poignant attendance was that of Daddy Lumba’s three children with Akosua Serwaa, who publicly distanced themselves from the lawsuit filed by their maternal relatives. Led by their eldest brother, Calvin Fosu, they arrived at the stadium to pay their final respects, underscoring their desire to honor their father’s legacy peacefully.
The emotional toll was immense. “They made him a case study for our laws,” remarked one elderly fan, Auntie Adwoa, her voice shaking. “Our legend did not deserve this public fight.” President John Dramani Mahama, in an earlier condolence message, captured the national sentiment, stating, “Lumba’s unmatched musical genius provided the soundtrack to our lives.” The NDC, led by Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, formalized this political support by donating GH₵50,000 to the family at the Kumasi ceremony.
Abusuapanyin Kofi Owusu, the head of the family faction authorized by the court to conduct the burial, was prominently present throughout the proceedings, affirming his central role. Ashanti Regional Minister, Frank Amoakohene, was also notably present, signaling the official governmental recognition of the national importance of the event. This high-level attendance continued the trend set during the one-week observance in August, which saw Former President Nana Akufo-Addo donate GH₵100,000, and Former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia donate GH₵50,000 to the family.
Even as the stadium was packed, some questioned the execution. Ghanaian creative personality MC Portfolio openly described the event as “disappointing” and “unworthy of
the late musician’s stature,” criticizing the organization for failing to meet the high public expectation.
Nana Acheampong’s Goodbye: The Undying Beat
Inside the packed stadium, Lumba’s music became the most potent unifying force. When the legend’s long-time collaborator, Nana Acheampong, stepped onto the stage, the decades of friendship and the pioneering spirit of the Lumba Brothers poured out. Acheampong’s emotional performance of their first song brought tears to his eyes and moved the throng.
“Only if I had the words to express how I’ve been feeling,” wrote rapper Sarkodie earlier in his tribute. Socialite and brand influencer Efia Odo perhaps best summarized the cultural impact: “Daddy Lumba was more than a musician—he was a voice for the broken, a poet for the people, and a melody that lived in every Ghanaian heart.” The political depth of the loss was amplified by Former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, who had earlier described Lumba as a “pillar of Ghana’s highlife genre” and appealed for a state burial.
The presence of renowned businessmen Osei Kwame Despite and Akwasi Sarpong demonstrated the high commercial and social stature of the man.
A Legacy Beyond the Grave
The controversies will eventually fade. What remains is a monumental legacy of over 30 albums, a catalogue that defined love, heartbreak, and resilience for generations. Lumba’s funeral was a fittingly complex final act for a man who lived a life as dramatic and layered as his music. The crowds, dressed in muted traditional cloth but swaying with irrepressible rhythm, proved that the music has the final, eternal word.
Ghana has said goodbye, but the voice of Charles Kwadwo Fosu echoes across the nation, an undying beat in the Ghanaian heart.
