Court halts testimony as sister of late highlife star breaks down

Proceedings in a Kumasi High Court were briefly paused on Wednesday after a key witness in the ongoing dispute over the marital status of the late music icon Daddy Lumba became overwhelmed with emotion during cross-examination.

The presiding judge, Justice Dorinda Smith-Arthur, asked the witness, Ernestina Fosuh, to take a moment and drink some water before the session continued. Ms Fusoh, also known as Akosua Brempomaah, is the elder sister of the late musician, born Charles Kwadwo Fosuh.

The court is determining whether Akosua Serwaa Fosuh was the legally recognised wife of the highlife legend and therefore entitled to perform widowhood rites.
Her claim is being challenged by Priscilla Ofori, widely known as Odo Broni, who lived with the musician and bore several of his children.

It was during questioning from counsel for Odo Broni that the witness became emotional. The lawyer had asked why the late musician named his first son with Akosua Serwaa Calvyn Schindler, instead of choosing a Fosu family name.

When the hearing resumed, Ms Brempomaah told the court that her brother relocated from Germany to Ghana in 2013 and that she regularly stayed with him during her twice-yearly visits. She said she first met Odo Broni after she delivered her son, Junior, and later learned that she and the musician had another child five months later—one named after the family’s late matriarch, Amma Saah.

She confirmed that their mother, who died nearly 24 years ago, never saw the child named in her honour. As the eldest sibling, she said she had taken on the role of a mother figure both for the family and for the musician himself.

The witness also acknowledged that the couple lost one of their children and outlined that the late musician had three children with Odo Broni at his Tantra Hills residence and registered a further three at his East Legon home.

Two main issues remain sharply contested:

Whether Daddy Lumba performed in-law funeral rites (“Nseyie”) during the death of Akosua Serwaa’s mother, and

Whether the couple were still legally married at the time of the musician’s death.

Ms Brempomaah insisted her brother attended the funeral together with other family members and said she had video evidence to support her account. She rejected suggestions that the marriage had collapsed or that Serwaa had returned the traditional “head drink” to dissolve the union.

According to her, no such information ever reached her—something she said would have been impossible given her close relationship with the musician. She added that Serwaa still holds health insurance and labour documents reserved for married spouses in Germany.

Before the court adjourned, it heard from Osei Bonsu Kantanka, a representative from the Manhyia Palace, who was subpoenaed to clarify Asante customary marriage practices and funeral rites.

The matter is expected to resume on Friday, when Ms Brempomaah is set to continue with her testimony.