By Nana Karikari, Senior Global Affairs Correspondent
The iconic Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi, in 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 Fosuh, popularly known as 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 marked a public triumph over months of legal turmoil, which saw the final rites repeatedly postponed, from an initial December 6 date to December 13, 2025.
The burial was only secured after a High Court ruling, which sought to balance traditional customs against modern law, imposed last-minute conditions on feuding family factions. At the heart of the dispute was a deep schism: the German-registered statutory marriage of Akosua Serwah Fosu clashed directly with the customary recognition of Priscilla Ofori, popularly known as Odo Broni. A Kumasi High Court ruling in November ultimately affirmed the legal standing of both women after Akosua Serwah failed to prove sole surviving spouse status.
The injunction, sought by Daddy Lumba’s maternal relatives and sister, alleged their exclusion from burial planning and challenged the Abusuapanyin’s sole authority over the funeral. The suit also sought to compel an independent postmortem to determine the cause of death, citing conflicting accounts, and raised allegations of financial mismanagement involving funds of the Daddy Lumba Memorial Foundation. The case became a defining confrontation between Ghana’s legal pluralism and entrenched customary authority.
In the final hours before the funeral, an Accra High Court initially granted the injunction, restraining the Abusuapanyin and barring Transitions Funeral Home from releasing the body. However, the court later allowed the funeral to proceed after the applicants failed to pay a GH₵2 million bond within the stipulated deadline. This effectively cleared the way for the burial. A lawyer for the family head described the ruling as a “significant relief” that finally allowed the nation to mourn.
Tears, tributes and high-profile attendance
The lying-in-state ceremony was held at Heroes Park in Kumasi, where thousands queued to file past the highlife legend’s casket.
One of the day’s most emotional moments was the sight of Odo Broni weeping quietly nearby. She had lived with Daddy Lumba for more than 15 years, and her grief underscored the pain surrounding the dispute over her status, which the court had recognised in November. Notably absent from the ceremony were members of the maternal family faction, including the main applicant, elder sister Ernestina Akosua Brimpomaa Fosu, and first wife Akosua Serwah, a visible reminder of the unresolved conflict.
The presence of Daddy Lumba’s three children with Akosua Serwah was particularly poignant. Led by their eldest brother, Calvin Fosu, they publicly distanced themselves from the lawsuit filed by their maternal relatives and attended the ceremony to pay their final respects.
The emotional toll was evident. “They made him a case study for our laws,” said one elderly fan, Auntie Adwoa, her voice trembling. “Our legend did not deserve this public fight.”
President John Dramani Mahama, in an earlier condolence message, captured the national mood, saying Daddy Lumba’s “unmatched musical genius provided the soundtrack to our lives.” The National Democratic Congress (NDC), led by Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, reinforced this support by donating GH₵50,000 to the family at the Kumasi ceremony.
The Abusuapanyin, Kofi Owusu, who was authorised by the court to conduct the burial, was prominently present throughout the proceedings. The Ashanti Regional Minister, Frank Amoakohene, also attended, underscoring the state’s recognition of the national significance of the event. This followed earlier gestures during the one-week observance in August, when former President Nana Akufo-Addo donated GH₵100,000 and former Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia donated GH₵50,000 to the family.
Despite the large turnout, some criticised the organisation of the event. Ghanaian creative personality MC Portfolio described the ceremony as “disappointing” and “unworthy of the late musician’s stature”.
Nana Acheampong’s goodbye: the undying beat
Inside the packed stadium, Daddy Lumba’s music became the most powerful unifying force. When his longtime collaborator Nana Acheampong mounted the stage, decades of friendship and shared musical history resonated through the crowd. His emotional performance of their early work moved many to tears.
“Only if I had the words to express how I’ve been feeling,” rapper Sarkodie wrote earlier in his tribute. Social media influencer Efia Odo summed up the cultural impact, saying 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”.
Former Vice President Dr Bawumia had earlier described him as a “pillar of Ghana’s highlife genre” and appealed for a state burial. The presence of prominent businessmen Osei Kwame Despite and Akwasi Sarpong further reflected the late musician’s wide-reaching influence.
A legacy beyond the grave
The controversies surrounding Daddy Lumba’s burial may eventually fade, but his legacy endures. With more than 30 albums, his music defined love, heartbreak and resilience for generations. His funeral was a fittingly complex final act for a man whose life mirrored the depth and drama of his music.
As mourners, clad in sombre traditional attire, swayed gently to his timeless songs, one truth became clear: Ghana has said goodbye, but the voice of Charles Kwadwo Fosu will continue to echo across the nation — an undying beat in the Ghanaian heart.
