Oteanankanduro, born Ato Kwamina Hasford, is a Ghanaian multidisciplinary artist whose name translates from Akan as “healer of snakebites.” This linguistic choice roots his entire practice in the traditions of the Akan people, the largest meta-ethnicity in Ghana, whose tonal language and heritage form the foundational bedrock of his storytelling.
Based between Accra and Helsinki, where he has been working through an Artists at Risk residency rallying support against Ghana’s anti-LGBTQ+ bill, he makes music that folds spoken word, sung melody, and passages in English and Twi into a framework shaped by neo-soul, alternative R&B, and West African folk storytelling.
His influences run through Miriam Makeba, Angélique Kidjo, and Nina Simone, and his ongoing project Nwomkoro traces the struggles of queer folk genre artists in Ghana.
“Why Is Your Love Dead Bodies,” from his seven-track album Fatal Attraction, names Khartoum, Kivu, Gaza, Haiti, South Africa and the Amazonas, places where desire for gold, oil and people has turned love into a body count. The repeated “He loves me / Not today” flips between English and Twi before the title line hits, turning a love chant into an accusation.
Stream, listen to and purchase Fatal Attraction following THIS LINK