Osofo Dadzie

Osofo Dadzie was the title of a television drama series that was very popular in Ghana in the 1970s and early 1980s. It was performed by the Osofo Dadzie group, a drama and concert group that was very popular in Ghana at the time the series ran.

Osofo Dadzie
TraditionalOsɔfo Dadzie
LiterallyPastor Dadzie
GenreComedy-drama
Created byJoris Wartenberg
Written by
Directed byNana Bosompra[3]
Starring
Theme music composer
Opening themeWoyaya
Ending themeWoyaya
ComposerSol Amarfio & Teddy Osei
Country of originGhana
Original languageTwi
Production
ProducerNana Bosompra
Release
Original networkGTV
Original release24 October 1972 (1972-10-24) –
December 1981 (1981-12)
Chronology
Preceded byJatakrom[3]

Concert party

The Osofo Dadzie group was initially a concert party known as the S. K. Oppong Drama Group. They toured rural areas of Ghana where they performed. Their first breakthrough came when they were recruited to perform alongside the African Brothers Band led by Nana Kwame Ampadu.[5][6] Most concert parties at the time combined music and theatre. Osofo Dadzie was a very popular group and had many performances around the country.[7][lower-greek 4] Its plots often centred on social criticism, with the support of the Ghana government.[8] The leader of the group was S. K. Oppong.

TV series

The group's breakthrough on television came when they performed a play Aku Sika written by Nana Kwame Ampadu, in combination with the Nana Ampadu's African Brothers Band. S. K. Oppong featured in this as a drag queen, which turned out to be quite popular. They performed this act on a programme, Anansekrom, organised by the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC). This was very well received and also impressed one Kobina Taylor of the GBC. Nana Bosompra, a producer with the GBC, engaged Joris Wartenberg, then at the University of Ghana, to be the scriptwriter for a new television series featuring the group. This led to the start of the Akan drama series Osofo Dadzie on GTV, which was the sole television channel in Ghana at the time. Wartenberg suggested the group change its name to the "Osofo Dadzie Group" because of their new profile.[5][6] They became the most popular drama show on Ghana television.[8] The series ran from 24 October 1972 until December 1981.[2]

Cast

Probably the most popular character in the series was Super OD, played by Asonaba Kwaku Darko. Osofo Dadzie (Frimpong Manso) was the other main character. The other characters included S. K. Oppong, Fred Addai, Akua Boahemaa and Bea Kissi.[5][6] Wartenberg disclosed that he created the Osofo Dadzie character as a means of enabling continuity between the various episodes, so that the individual episodes could cover varying topics.[2] Asonaba Kwaku Darko died in 2018.[6]

Theme song

The theme song for the programme was "Woyaya" (Wɔyaya in Ga meaning "We are going"), which was written by Teddy Osei, leader and saxophonist and Sol Amarfio, drummer of Osibisa, a popular Ghanaian Afro rock band based in London, UK. This tune became synonymous with the Osofo Dadzie programme in Ghana.

See also

Footnotes
  1. Wartenberg starts speaking on NA ME WO HO ("I was there") on Adom TV at 0:3:48 and states he started writing for the group when at the started of the TV series.
  2. Acknowledged at 0:0:47 in Sincerely Yours
  3. Acknowledged at 0:3:24 on NA ME WO HO ("I was there") on Adom TV
  4. Numerous classified adverts for Osofo Dadzie performances in one single edition of the Daily Graphic newspaper.

References
  1. "Osofo Dadzie (Sincerely Yours) - Ghana Akan Drama". youtube.com. Ghana Culture. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  2. "NA ME WO HO ON ADOM TV (19-12-13)". youtube.com. Adom TV. 19 December 2013. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  3. Collins, John (1985). Musicmakers of West Africa. Lynne Rienner Publishers. p. 91. ISBN 9780894100758. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  4. "Woyaya". lyrics.com. The STANDS4 Network. Retrieved 1 July 2020. We are going, heaven knows where we are going, But we know within...
  5. "ASONABA Kweku Super OD Darko (Super O.D. )". ghanaweb.org. GhanaWeb. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  6. "Veteran Actor Super OD Is Dead". peacefmonline.com. Peace FM. 13 February 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  7. Nkrumah, I. K. (editor) (3 December 1974). "Graphic Classified Advertisements Service". Daily Graphic (7510). Graphic Communications Group Ltd. p. 16. Retrieved 1 July 2020.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  8. Barber, Karin; Collins, John; Ricard, Alain (22 Jun 1997). West African Popular Theatre. Indiana University Press. p. 24. ISBN 9780253028075. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
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