Ghanaian musician Okyeame Kwame has opened up about the challenges he faced growing up with Dyslexia, describing how the condition made learning difficult and shaped his early school experience.
Dyslexia is a learning difficulty that affects reading and the ability to recognise speech sounds, often making it harder to connect letters with words. It occurs due to differences in how certain parts of the brain process language.
Speaking in an interview on Channel One TV’s Face to Face on Tuesday, April 7, the award-winning artiste recounted the struggles he endured in the classroom.
“When I was growing up I had Dyslexia and so learning was very difficult for me. When people were saying I am going to be a doctor I am going to be a lawyer, I didn’t hear it. When I was growing I just wanted to finish school so I will take myself from the abuse that was associated with coming last but one in class, the abuse that was associated with ‘wagyimi, wabon’ and the broken heart and the depressive state of my mind as I realised that my father who loved me so much had asked my teachers to beat me because I liked playing,” he said.
Despite these challenges, Okyeame Kwame credited his mother for nurturing his confidence at an early age through Akan poetry.
“When I was five my mother had introduced me to Akan poetry and so I will go to school and be beaten and be hooted at but whenever I stood in public to recite my Akan poem, people came alive so I knew one day I was going to do something relating to oratory but I just didn’t know what it was,” he added.
Beyond his music career, Okyeame Kwame is marking a significant milestone as he turns 50 this April. To celebrate, he has embarked on a legacy project—the construction of a paediatric emergency centre at the Manhyia District Hospital in Kumasi.
The initiative, which forms the centrepiece of his birthday celebrations, is aimed at strengthening emergency healthcare services for children and reflects his commitment to national development beyond the entertainment space.
As part of the celebrations, Channel One TV will host a star-studded event in his honour on April 18 at +233 Jazz Bar & Grill, starting at 9 p.m.
The event will feature performances from top Ghanaian artistes, including Kwame Eugene, KiDi, King Paluta, Amerado, MzVee, Sista Afia, Afriyie Wutah, Kwabena Kwabena, Kweku Darlington, Abiana, Akwaboah, Abochi, Bradez, Ras Kuuku, Adina, and Andy Dosty.
Tickets are priced at GH¢1,500 for VVIP and GH¢1,000 for VIP, with all proceeds directed toward the construction of the paediatric emergency centre—an initiative expected to significantly improve healthcare delivery for children in Kumasi.
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