I, Francis Kofi, was born on 25th February, 1964 in Vogan, Togo. (My parents were Togolese, but born in Ghana).

My grandfather was the master drummer of the Gbenordu Haborbor Troup in my hometown. My father was also a member of this group, but he died suddenly when I was two. Because of the shock of my father's death, my mother became disappointed in life and she could not take care of me, so my grandfather looked after me.

At the early age of six, I was performing with my grandfather at funerals and festivals. During my school days I developed my interest in traditional drumming and dancing. I was the best drummer/dancer among my mates. Another sad fact is that I lost my grandfather when I was thirteen years old. At that time I began taking care of myself by selling coconuts to pay my school fees.

At age fifteen, I joined People's Cultural Troup in Accra Newtown. We travelled for three months to Benin, Togo, and Nigeria where we performed. In 1980 I was invited by my grandfather's group to perform with them at the yearly festival, Adzinukuzan, and we proceeded to Burkina Faso. My career as a drummer/dancer led me to join the Ghana Dance Ensemble, the national dance company of Ghana, at the Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, Legon, in 1984.

Performing in the programmes of the Ghana Dance Ensemble I have travelled extensively, performing in many countries including India, U.S.S.R., Canada, Japan, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, and the U.K. I have won several prestigious awards (1989 Ghanaian Union of Canada: Best Performer Award; 1992 Bloomsbury Society's (UK) Rudolph Dunbar Award.

In 1992, I decided to resign from the Ghana Dance Ensemble in order to travel to other African countries to learn more about African music and dance. During this period I travelled to Nigeria, Benin, Togo and Burkina Faso.

In 1993, when part of the Ghana Dance Ensemble moved from the University to the National Theatre, I was invited to join them. I held the position of master drummer of the Ghana Dance Ensemble at the National Theatre until I resigned this year.

I still feel a strong desire to reach out beyond Ghana, to share something very important with other musicians and to learn from them. I have especially enjoyed opportunities to share my knowledge of African music and dance with non-Africans. I would welcome invitations from schools or dance comapnies outside my country that would be interested in my coming to share my experience with them. I will gladly provide references and a video tape of myself in performance.