I’m not a ‘Dada-ba’ – Diana Hamilton reflects on her humble beginnings in Kumasi

Award-winning gospel musician Diana Hamilton has opened up about her childhood in Kumasi, dismissing perceptions that she was raised in affluence and privilege.

Speaking on Angel FM in Kumasi monitored by MyNewsGh.com, she clarified that her upbringing was far from luxurious.

“I am not a ‘Dada-ba,’” she said, using the local expression often associated with someone raised in comfort. “I am a ‘Nana-ba.’”

She explained that from the age of two until about eleven, she lived with her grandmother at Afful Nkwanta. That experience, she noted, significantly shaped her character and worldview.

“I stayed with my grandmother from the age of two to about eleven at Afful Nkwanta,” she recounted.

Hamilton described a recent emotional return to the community. According to her, the visit was unplanned. She and her siblings had initially set out to visit a relative, but she decided to take a detour to show them the neighbourhood where they had grown up.

“It was not planned,” she explained. “We were visiting a relative, and I decided to pass through with my siblings to show them where we grew up.”

The visit stirred deep nostalgia. She met an old friend who had been her next-door neighbour, and the reunion, she said, was deeply fulfilling.

“I met a friend who was our next-door neighbour, and it was a beautiful experience,” she added.

Reflecting on her childhood, Hamilton emphasised that television was considered a privilege in those days, underscoring the modest circumstances in which she was raised. The memories, she said, reminded her of the journey from humble beginnings to national and international recognition.

“There were lots of memories,” she said, describing the moment as both grounding and inspiring.