Pastor James Owusu-Bonsu, leader of Awesome Grace Network (AGN) is the biological father of Wanlov the Kubolor, the Ghanaian rap musician with a special ability to generate controversy and get people talking about him for both good and bad reasons.
Pastor Owusu-Bonsu has told NEWS-ONE what he thinks about his son and also expressed optimism that the ‘gipsy musician’ would eventually end up as a man of God. Read the interview below:
Kubolor’s father is a Pastor! Quite unusual.
Well, all things are possible.
Did you give your son the name ‘Kubolor’ at birth? (Kubolor means vagabond!)
No. I did not give him the name, Kubolor. He picked that name by himself. I gave him the name, Emmanuel Owusu Bonsu.
Has he been a controversial person from childhood?
He has always been that way; very intriguing person. But what is interesting about him is that he is very consistent, very strict ad very honest. I can tell you something about Kubolor’s honesty.
From childhood, when something got broken at home and you called the children to find out who broke it, he would step out and say ‘I, Emmanuel, I broke it’. Whether you would spank him or not, he would tell you the truth and run away.
I remember when he was in his final year in secondary school at Adisadel College; there was a time I had a call from the Headmaster, Mr. Kitson. He told me that there was a problem and one of the masters was demanding that Kubolor be sacked from the school.
But the headmaster and other staff would not agree because they believed in the story Kubolor was saying even more than what the master was alleging. They gave me several instances that the boys had done something wrong and Kubolor was the only one who would step out and speak the truth and confess even when there was some punishment at stake.
So in this instance, they listened to him, listened to the Teacher, and believed what Kubolor was saying. I was very touched by that testimony from the Headmaster of Adisadel College, Mr. Kitson.
As a father and pastor, how do you feel about the negative publicity your son attracts from critics who do not understand his style?
Well, I look at it with a different eye from the way the public would look at it. I believe and trust in God. And as I am serving God, I believe in God to take care of all my children. When I pray, I pray for them. When things are going that way I do not get worried but when I disagree with him, I call him and tell him the truth, that he should have done this in a different way. But I leave it to the hands of God.
But listen, let me tell you something. If you look at the history of mankind, there were people whose behaviour seemed bad but at the end they changed for the better. I believe that in the end, Kubolor, eventually, would turn into a pastor.
Are you proud of your son?
Yes, I am. I am very proud of him. I am proud of my children.
Are you aware he does not wear boxer shorts or briefs?
I am fully aware. It was not like that from his childhood. I do not know at what point he turned that way. But if that is how he feels comfortable and he does not walk around naked in public, I am okay and do not have any problem with that.
Tell me briefly about your church and your 1st July programme.
The July 1programme is called ‘Africa in Prayer and Praise of Our Maker’. It is a prayer and praise programme for all Africans resident in Ghana. We are taking advantage of the Republic Day to stand with Ghana in prayer because we believe that what Ghana needs is the intervention of God.
We need Godly wisdom in running the affairs of the nation because we have tried it by the wisdom of man and have failed. That should tell you that we need to look elsewhere at the Creator who created us. If we have tried all other things and they have failed, we need to turn to our Creator and ask Him for direction.
The Bible has hundreds of examples of how God has directed and led nations to success and that is what we would be praying to God for at the Accra Technical Training College on July 1. Admission is free.
Thanks for talking to us.
The pleasure is mine.
