"To Be Here, It's Good" The Beat of Life featuring Ezekiel

The beat of life featuring Ezekiel

"Hi, I am Ezekiel Dagadu. I came to Hong Kong in 2018"

Africa is full of music when it comes to Ghana. Nearly everybody is happy with music, drumming and singing and dancing as well. I am an African drummer, tutor and a performer as well. My name is Ezekiel Dagadu from Ghana, west of Africa. I found out about my drumming since I was a kid. I started drumming and then I just remembered those times when I used to drum and then my families and friends were going to drum. They never wanted me to go drumming and I was crying, I had to go, I was struggling with them and then, oh, they had nothing to do, then to say “Okay let's go together”.

I came to Hong Kong in the year 2018. When my uncle called me and said, “Oh yeah, are you ready to work with me here in Hong Kong?” And I said “Yes, yeah, I'm ready” because this has been my first opportunity. I cannot say “No”, because I see it as an opportunity for me to take and then explore myself,  and then share my passion and dream with all these in African drumming.

In Ghana, once you're on the street, whether you know your friend or you don't know, you can say “Hi” or maybe just wave the hand, saying “Hello”, like, “What's up”, “How are you”, like this. And those in Hong Kong is a bit difficult. If you don't know the people, you cannot say “Hello”. But once they know you, they can really get on with you as well.

I think during the Covid, most of our businesses in Hong Kong were down. So most schools have already been cancelled. Also we have to be running the classes online, and then together with the little savings that I have. I managed to live on it and then still hoping for better improvement.

I see Hong Kong as a very nice and a good place to live despite very busy people running to and fro, and an environment which is full of many people. I still see more opportunities here for myself and then I think for anyone that comes here too. I think the language was really a problem to me, so it's really hard for me to order food easily because I cannot speak in the language. That's why I used to go and eat African food more often. Yeah, I know a few Cantonese like “Yao Gai Fan”, “Bolo Bao”.

Family is family, you miss them all the time. But I don't put that aside my job. I do miss them. If I begin to think more about them, that means I have to give up and say “Oh, I miss my family”. And then I'm going back.

My motto is to be happy all the time. You always have to live in the moment and all the time you have to be happy. Be yourself and let your passion guide you. I don't have to be rich to be happy, right?

What I would say is for Hong Kong youth to keep trying, and then the more you try, the more you get it. Yeah, to keep persevering because I may say myself was also an example. This was what helped me. If I hadn't insisted on dragging into the car, I wouldn't be here in Hong Kong today. So what I’d like to say is give a try. Never give up.