[ 2014-01-16 ]

Kwame Nkrumah Tikesie

Gotcha! Kwame Nkrumah Tikesie revealed
One radio personality that has successfully hidden
his face and identity from the public is Kwame
Nkrumah ‘Tikese’, host of the ‘Ade Akye
Abia’ morning show on Okay 101.7 FM.

Though Tikese has become one of the most popular
names and voices on radio, listeners have never
stopped debating and speculating on who exactly he
is and how he looks. His enviable command of the
Akan language has even sparked speculations that
he does not speak English.

NEWS-ONE, on Wednesday, bumped into him at the
Ship House in Accra and made him pose for our
cameras. Tikese also revealed his true identity
and explained the secrets behind his ever rising
fame as an effective communicator with a local
focus.

Tikese, is it true you cannot speak good English?

I speak very good English. I mean flawless,
Queen’s English. Twi is my first language and it
happens to be the dominant language of my
listeners so it goes down well with my programme
that I communicate at least 80 percent of the time
in Twi. And I happen to have learnt the language
well.

Did you study Twi in school?

No I did not.

Did you grow up in an Akan Royal House?

Not really. I grew up in Kumasi where I was born
and bred. Growing up, I listened to radio a lot
and admired people like Kwesi Donkor, Sekyere
Boateng, Mafia Konadu and a few others who spoke
very rich brand of Twi, so from childhood, I
admired people who spoke Twi with some dexterity.

That is how come now that I am on radio I have
created my identity as someone who speaks flawless
Akan language and Twi to be precise.

Are you saying you do this intentionally?

The Akan language in particular is a cultural tool
and we use a lot of symbols to represent what we
are saying. It is a tonal language that derives
its strength from the tone with which it is
spoken.

When you are presenting something to the public on
radio, it falls under the aesthetics of performing
arts. You must know where to start, where you
climax and all that. All these must be in your
vocal discourse and the tone of voice you use must
create a picture of what you are saying in the
mind of the listener. You should know when to
project, when to mellow your voice, when to lay
emphasis, when to use a sad tone and when to use a
hilarious tone. Your voice is the camera with
which you show the picture of the story to your
listeners.

Meaning your language power is your greatest
tool.

Yes. That, as well as my voice, my intuitiveness
towards historical facts, my cultural awareness
and my ability to explain issues.

Have you been successful on Okay FM?

My best judges would be the listeners. But I can
say it has been splendid and tremendous. I get a
lot of positive feedback. It feels amazing that
many people do not know me by face yet follow me
on radio. It was only until recently when I
boarded a commercial vehicle and midway into the
journey, I suddenly became a subject of discussion
that I realized how far my name had gone. I just
sat through and listened without the passengers
even knowing I was the Kwame Nkrumah they were
talking about.

Tell me about yourself.

I was born in Kumasi. My parents are still alive.
I started school from Class 1 at Wesley Practice
Annex, Kuofrom in Kumasi then I moved to New Tafo
LA Middle and from Class Six I entered Secondary
School. By age 11, I was in secondary school form
one. I went to OKASS. Then I went to the Winneba
School of Music.

I never knew you studied music.

Not exactly, but I had a soft spot for music and
did it on the sidelines. I became a composer and I
composed several choral songs. I also played the
keyboard and was a piano instructor. Then I
entered the Kumasi Polytechnic to study Marketing.
So aside my degree, I hold an HND as well. I am
happily married to Emmanuelle Maame Serwa
Nkrumah.

Is she the one we know on radio?

No. This one is not on radio though she is also a
journalist. We are married with three lovely
children whom we love so much.

How did you get into radio?

I was doing a choral programme at Otec FM when
someone encouraged me to go into full time radio.
So I worked for Fox FM, then through Father
Dickson, I moved to Hello FM and when Okay FM was
about starting, I was invited to Accra to start
the morning show.

You are dominating Accra’s airwaves very fast.
What is the secret?

The secret is about humility and hard work and the
providence of God that it shall be well.

Any final words?

Well, I just want to say thank you to my
listeners, my team and producers as well as all
members of the Despite Group of Companies. The
listeners have been tremendous with their support,
criticisms and advice. This is what has brought us
this far and we can confidently say at this point
that the sky is not even the limit focus. It is
rather our spring board. We hope to bring quality
radio to the doorsteps of the Ghanaian.

Source - News One

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