Ghanaian musician, Okyeame Kwame, has raised concerns over what he describes as the ongoing misconceptions about some traditional practices and how they are described.
In an interview on Hitz FM on July 31, 2025, Okyeame Kwame shared a story involving his son’s interaction with an art teacher, who, when discussing body painting, referred to traditional priests as “fetish” practitioners.
The exchange, according to him, prompted his son to challenge such mislabelling, emphasising that traditional priests are important to societal well-being.
“I think they were discussing body painting and what it was used for. And the art teacher said that when a priest paints himself, he is invoking evil spirits. And then my son thought back and said, No, no, no, it is not fetish. It is a traditional priest. Once you call it fetish, you have marginalised it.
“And how is it that the priest, the person telling people to clean their cities, advising the chief, who knows herbs, and understands the culture, and is a custodian of traditional artifacts and wisdom? How is he using bad spirits to do good things in the community? So this is what I was talking about,” he said.
Okyeame Kwame seized the moment to advocate for integrating cultural nuances into school curricula.
“I think that it is very, very important that we get to understand our tradition well. And cultural relevance and its nuances must be taught in schools so that we know who we are. Because without that, our identity is lost in this whole cosmopolitan matrix,” he warned.
In an earlier interview with Graphic Showbiz, He called for deliberate efforts across creative industries, music, film, fashion, and digital content, to weave in traditional symbols, practices, and stories.
According to him, chieftaincy and local culture should become central, everyday elements in modern identity, not relics reserved for national holidays.
“Bringing chieftaincy into pop culture is crucial. If our music, visuals and storytelling can project our traditions in relatable and modern ways, we will help the next generation understand who they are.
“If we continue to allow our institutions and our media to dilute or shame our cultural symbols, we risk losing our soul as a people. It’s not enough to celebrate culture on Independence Day alone. It must be an everyday reality.
“Our culture is not outdated. It is rich, it is meaningful and it can be ‘cool’ if presented creatively. Let’s make chieftaincy ‘cool’ again,” he said.
ID/EB
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