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Ghanaian master flutist Dela Botri has recalled the emotional moment he received his first atenteben flute as a 10-year-old, describing the surprise Christmas gift as a defining moment in his musical journey.
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Ghanaian master flutist Dela Botri has recalled the emotional moment he received his first atenteben flute as a 10-year-old, describing the surprise Christmas gift as a defining moment in his musical journey.
Speaking to Kafui Dey, Botri said his passion for music comes from what he believes is a gift from God.
“Because this is my area. This is what God gave me,” he said.
Botri said his early musical experience involved percussion instruments, including the rattle and bell, before he became interested in playing the flute.
According to him, he was inspired after seeing a member of the Akotobrigya cultural troupe playing the flute in his community.
“I approached this guy to teach me and he was not able,” Botri recalled.
Undeterred, he eventually found a five-key plastic melody instrument and began practicing on his own.
His efforts caught the attention of a pastor from his mother’s church, who told her that he believed Botri would become a musician.
The pastor later travelled to a centre in town and bought the young Botri an atenteben in 1979.
Botri recalled that the instrument was presented to him on Christmas Eve after his mother had asked him to fetch 12 buckets of water.
“He had a special package for me. So I thought she was going to give me some Christmas dress or biscuit or something,” he said.
But when he discovered what the package contained, his reaction was pure excitement.
“When I saw the flute, I was like wow… So I jumped jumped!” Botri recalled his excitement
Botri also named several musicians who influenced him during his formative years, including reggae legends Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Jimmy Cliff, as well as Eric Donaldson.
He also acknowledged musicians and mentors who influenced him locally, including Nana Kwame Ampadu, the First Black Chinese and K. Gyasi among others.
For Botri, the atenteben was more than a Christmas gift. It became the instrument through which he would develop his distinctive musical identity and pursue the calling he believes God gave him.
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