David Dontoh is a veteran Ghanaian playwright and actor
Veteran Ghanaian actor and playwright David Dontoh has revealed the history behind his surname, explaining that it has deep roots in his Fante heritage.
Speaking in an interview with Samuel Attah-Mensah on Channel One TV, the legendary actor shared that “Dontoh” is actually a corrupted version of a Fante phrase meaning “you can’t buy love.”
“My name, Dontoh, is a corrupted form of the phrase ɔdɔ wɔn ntɔ, which means ‘you can’t buy love’,” he said.
Dontoh explained that the transformation of the name occurred during his grandfather’s time in school in the early 1900s.
According to him, when his grandfather went to school around 1912 or 1913, the European teachers at the time had difficulty pronouncing the Fante phrase correctly.
As a result, they shortened and modified it to “Dontoh,” which eventually became the family’s official surname.
“The whites could not pronounce ɔdɔ wɔn ntɔ, so they decided to shorten it to Dontoh. And that is how it got stuck,” he explained.
David Dontoh is a renowned Ghanaian actor and television personality known for his roles in numerous local and international films.
He is best recognised for his performances in films such as Beasts of No Nation, The Dead, The Cursed Ones, and Kukurantumi: Road to Accra, among others.
Throughout his career, David Dontoh has received several awards, including the Best Actor ECRAG Award in 1984, 1989, and 1992, as well as the Best Supporting Actor and World Centenary of Film Awards at the Ghana Film Awards in 1999.
The name “Dontoh” is a corrupted form of a Fante phrase that means “you can’t buy love” —David Dontoh shares
Watch the full conversation here: full link: https://t.co/KOpT0MrTIw
#FootPrints with @Sammens pic.twitter.com/SK9HlNcB24— CITI FM 97.3 (@Citi973) May 17, 2025
Meanwhile watch as King Promise wins Artiste of the Year at 2025 TGMAs:
AK/MA
