William Du Bois Yaw Sakyi Kumi (born 5 May 1994), popularly known as Koo Kumi, is a Ghanaian spoken word artist, photographer,
slam poet
A poetry slam is a competitive art event in which poets perform spoken word poetry before a live audience and a panel of judges. While formats can vary, slams are often loud and lively, with audience participation, cheering and dramatic delivery ...
and mixed media visual artist. He is known for his blend of
Twi
Twi () is a dialect of the Akan language spoken in southern and central Ghana by several million people, mainly of the Akan people, the largest of the seventeen major ethnic groups in Ghana. Twi has about 17-18 million speakers in total, includ ...
and
English language
English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the ...
s. He adopts a traditional sound as well as an alternative hip hop feel. He appeared on the literary scene in 2012.
Early life
His father is Kumi Jonathan and his mother was Comfort Kumi, Koo Kumi is the first of four children. He is a native of
Mampong Akuapem
Akuapim-Mampong is a town in the Akuapim North district of the Eastern Region of Ghana. It shares boundaries with Mamfe .It is famous for being the first place cocoa was planted in Ghana by Tetteh Quarshie
History
A 1772 Dutch report includ ...
in the
Eastern Region of Ghana
The Eastern Region is located in south Ghana and is one of the sixteen administrative regions of Ghana. Eastern region is bordered to the east by the Lake Volta, to the north by Bono East Region and Ashanti region, to the west by Ashanti region, ...
. He attended high school at St Paul's Senior High School, Kwahu and later moved to Mampong Presbyterian Senior High. He studied visual arts in high school and was the best Graphic Design and Ceramic student of his class.
He majored in journalism at the
Ghana Institute of Journalism The Ghana Institute of Journalism is a public university in Ghana. The institute has accreditation from the National Accreditation Board.
History
The Ghana Institute of Journalism was established on 16 October 1959 by Kwame Nkrumah, the first pr ...
(GIJ) and earned a Bachelor of Arts in communication in 2018.
Works
Koo Kumi is the brain behind "Trotro Vibes".
Trotro
Trotro is a French children's animated television series. The show is about a young donkey named Trotro. The show is based on the books of Bénédicte Guettier. The show is produced in a series of 78 episodes of 4 minutes each.[spoken word
Spoken word refers to an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a late 20th century continuation of an ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetics of ...]
and acoustic music. He has performed on several stages, including TV and Radio as well as various live performances at places such as,
The National Theatre (Ghana), Alliance Francaise (Accra, Ghana), British Council. He has worked with poets and musicians in
Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
and other countries such as
Okyeame Kwame
Kwame Nsiah-Apau (born 17 April 1976), known by his stage name Okyeame Kwame and nicknamed Rap Doctor, is a Ghanaian musician, songwriter, creative director and entrepreneur.
Life and career Early life
Apau was born in Kumasi, Ashanti Region ...
, Kwame Write,
Wanlov the Kubolor
Emmanuel Owusu-Bonsu, known by his stage name Wanlov the Kubolor (born September 8, 1980, in Ploiești, Romania) is a Ghanaian- Romanian musician and film director born to an Akan father and a Romanian mother. Kubolor is a Ga word that essential ...
,
Ko-Jo Cue
Linford Kennedy Amankwaa (born 27 May 1989), better known by his stage name Ko-Jo Cue, is a Ghanaian Hip-Hop/ Afro-Pop artiste from Kumasi, Ashanti Region. He is currently signed to BBnZ Live and is affiliated to The Cue, a talent development ...
,
Chief Moomen
Abdul Moomen Muslim (born 16 December 1990) known professionally as Chief Moomen is a Ghanaian poet, playwright and creative entrepreneur. He is best known for creating the Ghanaian historical epic - ''WogbeJeke: Our Journey'', a theatrical ree ...
among others. Koo Kumi published an anthology "Beautiful Africa" with other young poets in 2013.
Spoken word poetry
Albums and extended playlists(EPs)
His first body of work of poetry titled "Woke On The Mountain" was released on 12 April 2019, officially.In 2020, he released his second EP "An Ode To A New Moon" made up of three poems to celebrate his birthday. He has also released a 10-track album titled 'The Griot' that tackles politics, urbanization and movement, culture, age of youth, and gender-related issues.
Appearances
Koo Kumi twice appeared on
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
Africa's news. He appeared on it with Trotro Vibes in December 2016 and was featured on
...