Internationally acclaimed Ghanaian folk and Highlife musician, Daniel Kwabena Boa-Amponsem, better known as Agya Koo Nimo, is among four individuals who will be honoured at this year’s Rhythms on Da Runway, scheduled for the Grand Arena of Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) on Saturday, November 30.
The others are Highlife musician, Kwabena Kwabena, singer Bibi Brew and Nigerian entrepreneur, Chief Dele Momodu.
The honour is an acknowledgement of their respective contribution to Ghana’s creative industry as well as immense support for Rhythms on Da Runway since it started.
Agya Koo Nimo, who turned 93 years old on January 27 this year, has been mostly praised for the giant strides he has made in music and for opening up many aspects of Ghanaian culture to the world through his music.
Born in the village of Foase in the Atwima District in the Ashanti Region, he worked in various jobs in science and medicine-related fields while maintaining his interest in music.
In 1957, he formed the Ghanaian roots ensemble, Adadam Agofomma, which received a huge commendation.
Koo Nimo became the first Ghanaian to have his work put on a compact disk in 1990 when his eight-song album, Osabarima, was released.
In 1998, he was employed as a Professor of Ethnomusicology at the University of Washington in Seattle, USA, for two years, before taking a similar position at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
He has been a great representative of Ghanaian culture through Highlife music and was awarded the first-ever Baobab Lifetime Achievement Award by the African University College of Communications (AUCC) on June 21, last year.
The upcoming celebration of Agya Koo Nimo alongside others at Rhythms on Da Runway falls in line with this year’s theme, Kente Edition, which seeks to highlight Ghana’s arts and tradition through the cultural significance of Kente.
Activities ahead of the main event are Model Casting Call at the African Regent Hotel in Accra on Sunday, October 6, and Industry Night on Saturday, October 26 to create a platform for networking and collaboration within the fashion and music industries.
