Osofo Dadzie was the title of a television drama series which was very popular in Ghana in the 1970s and early 1980s. It was by the Osofo Dadzie group, a drama and concert group that were very popular in Ghana at the time the series run.
Concert party
The Osofo Dadzie group was initially a concert party known as the S. K. Oppong Drama Group. They toured rural areas of Ghana where they performed. Their first break through when they were recruited to perform alongside the African Brothers Band led by Nana Kwame Ampadu. Most concert parties at the time combined music and theatre. Osofo Dadzie was very popular group and had many performances around the country. Its plots often centred on social criticism with the support of the Ghana government. The leader of the group was S. K. Oppong.
TV series
The group's breakthrough on television came when they performed a play Aku Sika written by NanaKwame Ampadu. This was done in combination with the Nana Ampadu's African Brothers Band. S. K. Oppong featured in this as a drag queen which turned out to be quite popular. They performed this act on a programme, Anansekrom organised by the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation. This had a very good reception and also impressed one Kobina Taylor of the GBC. Nana Bosompra, a producer with the GBC, engaged Joris Wartenberg, then at the University of Ghana to be the scriptwriter for a new television series featuring the group. This led to the start of the Akan Drama seriesOsofo Dadzie on GTV which was the sole television channel in Ghana at the time. Wartenberg suggested the group change its name to the Osofo Dadzie Group because of their new profile. They became the most popular drama show on Ghana television. The series ran from 24 October 1972 until December 1981.
Cast
Probably the most popular character in these series was Super OD which was played by Asonaba Kwaku Darko. Osofo Dadzie was the other main character. The other characters included S. K. Oppong, Fred Addai, Akua Boahemaa and Bea Kissi. Wartenberg disclosed that he created the Osofo Dadzie character as a means of enabling continuity between the various episodes as the individual episodes could cover varying topics. Asonaba Kwaku Darko died in 1984.
Theme song
The theme song for the programme was Woyaya which was written by Teddy Osei, leader and saxophonist and Sol Amarfio, drummer of Osibisa, a very popular GhanaianAfro Rock band based in London. This tune became synonymous with the programme in Ghana.
