Koo Nimo plays sitting down, with an acoustic guitar, a few percussionists and a voice that sounds like a storyteller at dusk. For more than half a century, he has been the keeper of Ghana’s palm wine guitar tradition.
He was born Kwabena Boa-Amponsem on 3 October 1934, in the village of Foase in the Atwima area of the Ashanti Region. He was baptised Daniel Amponsah.
Palm wine music
Palm wine music grew up in the drinking bars of coastal West Africa, where sailors, dockworkers and local musicians played acoustic guitar, often in a finger-picking style. It was one of the roots of highlife.
Koo Nimo took the style, rooted it in Asante tradition, and refined it into a music of great subtlety.
Science and music
Koo Nimo worked in scientific and medical fields, including laboratory jobs, while developing his music. He was not a full-time professional musician for much of his career, which gave his music a personal, unhurried quality.
Adadam Agofomma
Around the time of Ghana’s independence in 1957, Koo Nimo gained national attention with his ensemble, the Adadam Agofomma. His songs mixed Asante proverbs, stories and folk melodies with guitar.
A teacher
Koo Nimo has taught and lectured about Ghanaian music at home and abroad, including at universities in the United States. He has worked to document the palm wine tradition and pass it on to younger players.
The guitar style
His playing uses detailed finger-picking patterns that imitate the interlocking rhythms of Asante drumming and the melodies of traditional instruments. Guitarists who try to copy him often find his parts harder than they sound.
Songs and stories
Many of his songs tell stories drawn from Asante life and folklore, with lessons delivered through proverbs. Listeners who understand Twi hear a layer of wit and wisdom beneath the gentle guitar.
Honours
Koo Nimo has received many awards and honours in Ghana. Leaders and cultural institutions have praised him as a national treasure, and there have been calls to recognise him further.
Back in Kumasi
After spending periods abroad, Koo Nimo returned to live in Kumasi. Visitors and students continue to seek him out to learn from him.
A living link
Koo Nimo was already playing when the Gold Coast became Ghana. Listening to him today is like hearing the roots of highlife directly, from someone who was there when the tree was young.
