DO IT SECRETLY: Music Legend Tells Kids to Defy Parents and Chase their Dream

Legendary Ghanaian master flutist Dela Botri has advised young people who are passionate about music not to abandon their dreams simply because their parents disapprove of their career choice.

Speaking in an interview with Kafui Dey, Botri urged children determined to pursue music to remain focused, saying parental opposition could prevent them from following their true calling.

“You should focus and do it secretly,” he said. “Because if you listen to your parents they can change your destiny.”

Botri, popularly known as “The Flute Magician,” recalled that his own father initially wanted him to pursue metalwork instead of music.

“If I had listened to them especially my dad, they forced me to go and do welding,” he said.

He explained that although he learned the trade and was able to make gates, music remained his true passion.

“But the fact is that you see God blesses whatever you love from your heart,” Botri said.

According to Botri, young people should identify what genuinely interests them rather than allowing others to dictate their career paths.

He said parents may encourage their children to become doctors, scientists, lawyers or engineers, but every individual has a different destiny.

“Everybody have their own destiny,” he said.

Botri also stressed that music was not something he was forced into, saying his passion developed naturally.

“Music came to me naturally. I never had a teacher who sat me in the first day to teach me how to play the flute,” he said.

He said he spent about 10 years developing his musical abilities before joining the Pan-African Orchestra, where he further developed his skills in classical, jazz and contemporary music.

While encouraging young people who genuinely love music to pursue it, Botri cautioned against forcing themselves into the profession without passion.

“If you don’t love it don’t force it,” he said.

He added that he is willing to teach aspiring musicians for free if he sees genuine commitment and improvement in their work.

“If you are coming to me to learn, if I see that you are serious, you want to learn it, I will teach you for free,” Botri said.

However, he warned that commitment must be demonstrated through consistent effort and improvement.