We all know you as Kwaku Sintim Misa but I was wondering what your English name is?
It’s Gottfried; my father had some inspiration from Germany. I went through a phase of Africanisation so I dropped it. This was in Prempeh College.

What is your age, hometown, family?
I am 47 now; I came into the world on 5th December 1956. Kyebi in Eastern Region is my hometown. I was born in Kumasi, and I went to UST Primary.

That was my primary school as well; I remember hearing you were there too. Tell us about your family.
My father’s name is The Very Rev. Gottfried Kwadwo Sintim-Misa. (Well he is also Gottfried). He is now the deputy Regional Minister of Heaven, been there since 1984.

(Laughs) What was he doing when he was in this region called Earth?
He was the Moderator of Presby church, he was re-elected 3 times, 12 years. My mother’s name is Mary Oforiwaa Twum Barimah. She is a seamstress in children’s clothing, curtains, bed sheets, etc. She is a devoted individual.
I am in a family of 4 brothers and 2 sisters: Kwame Danso, Akua Twumwaa-Misa, Kwasi Siaw-Misa, Anima Misa Amoah, KSM, Kwabena Peko Misa.

Where have you been up your educational ladder? (He ends up saying much more, read on!)
The Tech years
I started at UST Primary. My father was transferred to Accra in 1967. I wanted to finish in UST because I didn’t really like the schools in Accra. I wanted to go to Ridge Church School but couldn’t. I stayed in Kumasi with an elder sister to finish UST primary.
I was there from 1961-1970. I wrote my common entrance there; Math, English, General Science, etc. My first choice was KwaBotwe, and the others were all Cape schools.

The Great Presec year
I got very sick that year, sickle cell. After I was discharged from hospital, my parents wanted me to be around, so my father as once Moderator of the Presby Church made a phone call to Presec and made sure I went there. I spent one great year there, 70-71. I studied Bible Knowledge, Geog, His, Literature, the normal courses.

The Prempeh years
After that I didn’t want to be in Accra and didn’t want to go to Botwe, so my father called Prempeh (he had been a headie there), and I ended up there. I was there from 1971-1977. I left there at 6th form.

Pioneering at NAFTI
My A level results were very bad, shocking. I took the exam again and never saw the results. I went to NAFTI in 78-79, (I was part of the pioneers) and did some film, camera work, sound, directing.

The Yankee Doodle years
I traveled to Connecticut in the US in 1979, enrolled in Trinity college (not theological), and did a double major in Theatre Arts and communication from 79-82. I then took a year off and worked. I went to New York University in 1983 to 1986, and did my masters in film production. I worked in the US for 10 years, all kinds of jobs.

Akwaaba!!!! (Here, his P.R.O. Vanessa came in and did her job)
I came back to Ghana in 1996, became a talk show host in Vibe and set up Sapphire Ghana Limited. I did and do a lot of motivational youth talks, one which is moving on up, career development programme on Saturdays (Vibe). On Sundays, I host the Gospel According to Vibe.
Outside of radio, I have been doing a lot of one man comedy. My first was Saga of a Returnee, in which I played 13 different characters and this run for 4 years, 97-01. Politically Incorrect was after handing of power. I did a sample of it on radio to see people’s response. Saga of a Returnee sold out 12 times consecutively. (Wow!) So I wondered, “What do I bring next and how will it be received?”
Politically Incorrect was about the election campaigning, etc. I did it 2 times in 2 weeks that sold out too. After this, I did the Trial of Jesus Christ that was done with a cast of 12. It was very controversial. The media partners had the title written wrongly, was called ‘Trial of the Century’ instead. I also did Saga of a Returnee, Pure Madness on a Friday and a Saturday.

KSM: 6 shows in a year, we can’t do 6 shows in a year!
Vanessa: Yes, we did! We were crazy!

Someone comes to verify that they did about 6 shows in that year.
I then did Zero Tolerance with Hugh Masekela in December, 2001. I played Sergeant Lasisi, the character in Colonial Independence in 2002, 2003. I acted as Afia Siriboe in December 2002, and did a Valentine’s Day special in 2003. After that, came Take Cover in 2003 and Chemical Interrogation in November and December 2003.

TV Shows
Build Your Ark was my first TV show, run from 99-00. I then did Divorce Court in 2002-2003. I am working on another now. That is TGIF: Thank God It’s Friday with KSM.

Tell us about that great one year in Presec.
I was in Clerk House. (Oh, I was in Clerk house too). Recently, I was going through Madina and decided to pass through Presec. Students there were so happy to see me as a celebrity. I remember Homo’s night, learning all the jama, etc. I didn’t work a lot in school because I was recovering from my sickness. Everyone liked me, I was like a pet. Maybe it’s because I was the moderator’s son. I felt like I was cheated, because I didn’t go through all the homoing and horror. Mr. Asibeytse was my Maths master. I had a crush on my English Teacher, Mrs. Asomaning. I used to wander away in English Class. I also remember my Science Teacher, P. D. Opoku Agyemang, his nickname was Pordor, Mr. Klaye, the geography teacher, the Twi Master was Mr. Kwapong and then the Headmaster called Mr. Datsa.

What about the dining hall, any memories?
It was a dome shaped building, the food was good, some mornings we had kenkey and corn beef. We also had porridge with groundnuts, as well as rice, palava sauce, etc.
We had a different school uniform then. A bell was ringed, and then according to the number of chimes, we would know who was being summoned. There was this guy called Charles Kwao, a senior who worked at the school store. So, form 1’s were summoned to assembly hall. Charles doesn’t bully anyone. He begged for provisions etc, some from of nice intimidation. He wanted to use it as an incentive to help people who wanted school uniforms. He ended up with a container store of milk, sugar, etc. I personally gave him three cans of milk, sugar, etc. (Laughs)

What were your interests and activities in Presec, and Prempeh?
There was no drama club then. I learned to play the flute, one Victor Agawu taught me, and he is now a professor of music. I did some acting in tech (UST) primary. My real interest in drama came in Prempeh. I was very quite, not a talkative. I was in the drama club, debating society, I did some writing and I love writing.
In Presec, I wrote some small small stories I gave to Mrs. Asomaning to edit. I remember writing one called Bad Boys Company and I never got it back.
I was also a student activist in Prempeh; I led a couple of demonstrations, and became a talkative after form 3.
I was also an Enter P (Entertainment Prefect), no wonder I am still in entertainment. During my time, we had movies, dancing, and literary stuff.

What are your present impressions of Presec?
There is a bad state of repair, wear and tear and the inability to maintain facilities. The science lab was great and the culture of maintenance is bad. I think it’s a great school, a much respected school.

Who makes up your present nuclear family?
My wife’s name is Mavis Sintim Misa. I have 2 boys and 2 girls. I have been married for almost 6 years.

Do you consider yourself an entrepreneur and what is your area of specialty?
Area of specialty is film and television production. TV production is my business.

What is the future of Ghanaian drama, theatre and its potential?
The practitioners are out of step with the audience. They are not in tune with the pulse of the people. They still want to do old plays. They have to ask themselves, “What is going on today?” There is no Ghanaian film industry. There are no institutional structures to support it, and peeps that go into there make colossal losses. Filmmakers who were not trained went into the industry, filled the vacuum and didn’t make the necessary adjustments. Professionals must come and take over. They have to know how to market, what content to produce, etc.

You must like writing as well, talk about Asem Sebe.
I realized that when you talk on the air, it goes away in the air. So I decided to complement my talk with print. Asem Sebe is in Chronicle and also gets published online, Ghanaweb especially. It started about a year ago. I have talked about an interview I had with God and a dream I had when stumbled upon a meeting Nkrumah, Rawlings, and Kuffuor were having. I do social commentary pieces and take a satirical look at things.

What is the biggest problem Ghana is facing?
Leadership. Or lack of it. There is no vision with our leaders, no inspired leadership. We have complacent people (citizens) who are satisfied with stuff that they live with. We are very mediocre.

What is the solution?
We have to get better leadership and need one leader that would inspire confidence in our people and is ready to sacrifice. He or she has to inspire us out of our mediocrity.

Do we really have to wait for this leader? What about civil society?
We can find this in civil society, and individuals who can create enclaves of excellence. For example, Sapphire expands to Africa, and GhanaThink (GhanaThink.org) doing something in the absence of that leadership. There must be a synergizing of energies.

Are there any awards in the industry dear to the heart?
Not really, none. Here are some things I hold dear to my heart. I was at a shell shop, buying some stuff and I went to get something else I wanted. I came back to the counter and realized someone had paid for my stuff.
An old man also called me about my Sunday programme and said he had never heard scripture refreshing. He gave me a scripture he wanted presented on radio before he dies.
As for awards, or stuff like those are just recognition.

What do you think about ‘educative noise’ and talking about Ghana rather than politics?
It is noise, the beauty of democracy. Even if you are not intelligent you can make noise. We have lost focus for the nation. If there is a leader who will rally the nation behind him, this would not happen. In the absence of that, i.e. a leader giving his people something to talk about, something has to fill the vacuum. And that is what we are seeing and hearing these days.
But people are getting the message, the message of change. Peeps don’t really understand that they can make the changes.
It seems these three guys have something going on amongst them, Kofi Wayo, Kwesi Pratt, KSM.

Listen oo Listen!
I think I am a trailblazer, a trendsetter. I brought hard talk to radio, and now I don’t have any excitement for it. This was a promo for my show, talkshop; “Talkshop went off air and radio has gone stale”.

Do you have any politics in mind?
Sometimes I do, sometimes I really think I should, but I never say never. I don’t know.

What are your hobbies and pastimes?
I like driving good cars, (on the Ghana’s pot-holed roads), I like nature and I like to hang out with nature. I sometimes go to Akosombo and admire the place. I also watch foreign comedy, those with Chris Rock, Cedric da entertainer, etc.

How about music? What do you listen to?
I listen to all kinds of music, depending on the mood; Hiplife, Highlife, Reggae, Classicals etc. My number one current song is (Aboa) Konkontiba by Obour.

Do you have anything in mind for Presec?
Many people leave the school and don’t give anything back. I have not been fair to Presec though. I will, they should invite me; I can do some career counseling.

(Laughs) Do you have any shout-outs to Odadee?
Well, to Felix Asamoah who is in Ghana, Ben Pupulampu, Chris Kotei (form 5 in 70), and Abuzena Tetteyfio, a senior who watched my back.

Interviewed by Clue, Odadee 2001, in the presence of Vanessa Mixson-Alawiye, from the US who is the Public Relations Officer of Sapphire Ghana Limited.