Bear with me here for a minute.  This piece is not a celebration of Kwame Tua.  However, there is a Kwame Tua in every political struggle.

Kwame Tua was a spy, collaborator, traitor and an insurrectionist.

In British colonial annals on Asante, there are more written correspondences/letters between Kwame Tua, a single person, and the various white CCAs ( Chief Commissioner of Ashanti) than any single individual in Asante-during the period, from say, 1896 to 1935.

Heck, Kwame Tua even tried to show the Brits where the Golden Stool was supposedly hidden during the Yaa Asantewaa War.

Thus, as a traitor, Kwame Tua was as dangerous as Benedict Arnold; as a collaborator, he was on par with the Vichy during Nazi German occupation of France; as a spy, leveled with the Rosenbergs.

Thus, the saying went, “Kwame Tua te a, broni a te.” To wit, when Kwame Tua hears anything, the white man has already heard.

But Kwame Tua was also something else.  He was the best musician of his time. Arguably, Asante’s first musical superstar and a pioneer of hi-life in Asante.

Patrilineally, Tua’s  father was a member of Santehene’s  nine man Ntahera essemble- elephant tusk horns.  So he was exposed to music and instrument at an early age. 

As a result, he would grow up to  become well adept at and a “maestro” Ntahera player at the Palace. None in the palace had more talent than him and for a longtime then, according to folklore.

Now, Lumba, for example, is known for his “Akutia” [ innuendo] song titles and lyrics.

But Kwame Tua was the Pioneer of “Akutia” songs. But his “akutia-bo” were political to the extreme- whilst Lumba’s Akutia is about love and relationships. Thus, if you and Tua were at opposite sides of a political issue, woe to you- diss songs nkoaa.

And this would come to the fore when two candidates hotly contested for Asantehene, eventually, resulting in a civil war.

During the crisis, Tua was on the side of those against the Asantehemaa’s candidate. As such, Santehemaa did not get any rest.  Tua composed songs after songs and lyrics against Santehemaa.  Even singing at funerals,  Tua would insert innuendo lines against Santehemaa.

A ploy to get rid off Tua was, therefore, hatched.  Tua got wind of it and ran into exile to the Gold Coast colony- Cape Coast to be precise.

And it was at Cape Coast that Kwame Tua first got exposed to the guitar.  And it was also at Cape Coast that he first became a British spy- living there for six years.

By the time he retuned to Asante with the British army to depose and exile Prempeh I,  he had become a guitar “virtuoso,” – having been taught by the “Kru” sailors in “palm wine” music, the precursor of high life.

With no Asantehene, Kwame Tua became a chief of the biggest division in Asante: Gyaase.

After about 14 years as a chief, he was destooled after massive pressure had been brought to bear on the CCA.  Yet the CCA still maintained Kwame Tua as an ex-officio chief- and was paid £350 as ex-gratia.

It was even rumored Kwame Tua – as the number one spy for the Brits- also had dirt on the CCA and that was why the Brits couldn’t totally get rid of him.

Nonetheless, after he was deposed, Kwame Tua joined the West African Frontier Force during World War One and was sent to East Africa. There, he picked up more musical skills from the regimental band.

Thus, inspite of his notoriety, he was still very popular when he returned due to his musical skills.  He was the most contracted singer to write songs to perform at engagements, anniversaries, funerals and for all events.

And as usual, most of his songs were what one would call in today’s rap-Hip-life “beef” or diss songs.

Heck, at one time when he was about to enter a courtroom over a land litigation case against Tafohene, Kwame Tua debut a new diss song right in front of the crowd at the forecourt. He was merciless.

However, with the Restoration of the Asante Confederacy, Kwame Tua’s popularity began to wane.  And with the passage of time, Kwame Tua, like all or most musicians, faded out of the public eye.

Kwame Tua died peacefully at the age of 85 or so; unlike his mother who, a few decades back, had been attacked and murdered by a mob as revenge for his deeds.