The nationality of legendary highlife musician Charles Kwadwo Fosu, popularly known as Daddy Lumba, has become a central issue in an ongoing civil case before a Kumasi High Court. The dispute, which touches on both legal rights and family traditions, has resurfaced following a suit filed by his spouse, Akosua Serwaa Fosuh.
Born on September 29, 1964, at Nsuta in the Ashanti Region to Johnson Kwadwo Fosu and Ama Saa (Comfort Gyamfi), Daddy Lumba spent his formative years in Ghana. Raised by two teacher parents, he attended Juaben Senior High School, where he studied agricultural science and earned a reputation as a bright and promising student.
He discovered his musical gift in the 1980s and eventually moved to Germany in 1996, a period that marked the turning point in his illustrious highlife career. In 2004, he entered into a civil ordinance marriage with Akosua Serwaa Fosuh in Bornheim, Germany.
His mother, whom he often celebrated in his music, passed away in 2001, while the music icon himself died at age 60 at the Bank Hospital in Accra.
Lawsuit Over Widowhood Rites and Marital Status
The current legal proceedings were triggered by a civil action filed by Akosua Serwaa Fosuh. She is asking the court to declare her the sole surviving wife entitled to perform widowhood rites for the late musician. Additionally, she wants the court to restrain Priscilla Ofori, widely known as Odo Broni, from presenting herself as Daddy Lumba’s wife.
The case has since opened another sensitive question—what was Daddy Lumba’s nationality at the time of his death?
Courtroom Exchange Over Nationality
During cross-examination, counsel for the applicant, William Kusi, questioned Abusuapanin Kofi Owusu, head of the Ekuona family at Parkoso and the first defendant, on whether he knew Daddy Lumba’s nationality when he passed away.
The witness insisted that the highlife legend “was a Ghanaian at the time of his death.”
However, counsel Kusi suggested otherwise, asserting that the musician held German nationality, not Ghanaian—a claim that could influence the direction of the case depending on how nationality affects marital rights, estate claims, and customary obligations.
A Case with Wider Implications
The court is expected to determine not only the rightful spouse but also whether Daddy Lumba died as a Ghanaian or a German national—an issue that may shape the final outcome of the widowhood and inheritance dispute.
