The officers gave me money for performing

Atongo Zimba’s musical journey reads like an adventure novel. In his chat with Hitz FM’s Kwame Dadzie and Doreen Avio, the 57-year-old legend revealed that he began crossing borders to Nigeria as early as age 11, without a passport.

“I went to Lagos with no ID card, nothing,” he recalled. “When we reached the border, I played music for the police and customs. They started dancing and gave me money. That was my passport.”

Atongo said he ended up living with the late Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti, playing music at his iconic Afrika Shrine.

“I stayed with Fela at the local airport area. I was too young, but he allowed me to play during jam sessions. Lagos people loved me,” he shared.

After his stint in Nigeria, Atongo returned to Ghana for a major cultural festival where he met legendary musician Mac Tontoh of Osibisa. “Mac Tontoh invited me to stay with him. That’s how my career began to grow in Ghana,” he said.

He also lived and worked with the late Senior Eddie Donkor, crediting him for shaping his artistry.