Hiplife artist Kwaw Kesse, known in real life as Emmanuel Botwe, is a man who does not shy away from courting controversy; he calls a dog by its name and stands up for it. Known as “abodam†or the mad-man for his eccentric lyrics and stagecraft, he revealed weed smoking is still part of his life, despite serving nearly three months in prison for it.
The artist was arrested in 2014 for possessing and smoking Indian hemp or weed in Kumasi, the Ashanti Regional capital, ahead of a musical concert.
Police at the time said he "was sitting in an open place in front of the wine shop with other friends and he was smoking cannabis" He was therefore picked up by a patrol team.
He was processed for court and spent both Christmas and the beginning of the new year in custody.
But speaking on JOy FM’s Cosmopolitan show on Tuesday, he denied ever smoking in the open. He said the officer who arrested him was sitting “50meters†away from him and could not have disregarded a directive for him to stop, as it was initially speculated.Â
He told host Doreen Andoh incarceration taught him some lessons because it changed him as a person, though he is not ready to give up on smoking.
“I have been smoking for the past 20 years and it is good for me,†he said.
When reminded that smoking is bad and has negative impact on a person’s health, he said that is for other people but not him.
“Because I got arrested that is why you are saying is not good for me but it is good for me,†he responded.
Kwaw, who has a new single out, said he’s not a hypocrite to lie about his smoking habit because doing so is not in his DNA. He, however, admitted to learning lessons from the period he was in jail.
“I was thinking as a child now I think as an adult,†he retorted. “I wouldn’t say it is a good thing to go to jail but I have learnt something for going to jail; it has made me a better person.â€
He said freedom means a lot to him more than anything else due to the experiences he got while in prison.