Leticia Adime Kumesi is a Ghanaian sign language music performer
Music is one of the few truly universal forms of entertainment. From birth, many people are welcomed into the world with lullabies.
As life unfolds, music becomes part of celebrations, graduations, worship, parties, funerals, and even quiet moments spent alone. In simple terms, music is everywhere.
But there is a question society rarely pauses to consider: what about people who cannot hear? How do deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals experience something many take for granted?
Do they attend concerts? Do they watch music performances on television? And if they do, how do they enjoy them?
In Ghana, one young woman has stepped into that gap.
Leticia Adime Kumesi is a Ghanaian sign language music performer who has gained attention online for bringing music to deaf audiences through sign language.
Her work interprets lyrics, rhythm, and emotion visually, opening a door that has long been closed to many.
Black Sherif brings sign language interpreter on stage during ‘Share a Coke’ concert
In an interview with Vida Adutwumwaa, Adime shared how her journey began. At a young age, her church introduced sign language as part of basic communication training.
She developed an early interest and continued building her skills in senior high school at Hope College, where sign language was offered as an extracurricular activity.
Her practice became more serious during the COVID-19 lockdown. With more time on her hands, she expanded her vocabulary, trained consistently, and eventually performed her first live signing in church.
That performance took place in front of deaf congregants, who were pleasantly surprised to see someone so young signing for them. Their reaction encouraged her to continue.
To improve her signing ability, she set personal challenges for herself. One of these was creating short videos for social media as a way to learn and practise new signs.
Her first signed music video attracted unexpected engagement. People began suggesting more songs, and she soon realised that the demand was both strong and largely underserved.
Interestingly, Adime did not grow up with an intense love for music. Signing to songs came more from audience demand than personal preference.
However, through her interactions with deaf individuals, she became aware of a significant gap in Ghana’s music scene: very little effort is made to make music performances accessible to the deaf community.
Today, Adime has signed to songs by notable Ghanaian musicians, including Black Sherif, Stonebwoy, Sarkodie, M.anifest, and Kofi Kinaata, among others.
Each performance conveys the rhythm, tone, and intent of the original music through expressive hand movements, facial expressions, and body language.
As the world evolves, she hopes Ghana and Africa as a whole, will adopt practices that include sign language music performers on major stages alongside artistes.
For her, this is not charity or pity; it is inclusion. Deaf individuals also want to attend concerts and music festivals, but without interpretation, they are pushed to the margins of an experience meant for everyone.
Adime’s mission is simple: to make music accessible without leaving anyone behind.
Watch Adime’s videos below:
AK/MA
