Worshipping Christ Is Funky - Azigiza Jnr

Azigiza & family Azigiza Junior, as he was known countrywide while in showbiz businesses, was born Victor Kpakpo Addo Jnr, but despite the fact that he has given his life to Christ, and is deeply engrossed in evangelism, he finds it very difficult to discard that name.

He maintains that the name Azigiza Jnr. has been embedded in his personality and that it will be quite a herculean ask to dump that name and stick to his official name.

"Most people who knew me since my school days hardly know my real name, especially when this was made popular during my stint as a disc jockey and a showbiz man", he explained.

According to him he got the name while a student at the Ghanatta Secondary School at Dodowa because at the time he was a highly unpredictable student.

"I remember that my friends and school mates did not understand my way of life because I was not straight forward. I operated in a 'zig zag' manner". At the time that they were learning, I will playing and when everybody was having fun, I will be busily learning".

He said this attitude influenced some of his friends to name him Azigiza, which has actually over-shadowed his original name.

In an interview at his Dansoman residence in Accra, Rev. Azigiza, said he started as a dancer with the G-Dancers, who danced with some top Ghanaian musicians, Ben Brako and Charles Amoah.

He went ahead to participate in the Embassy Double-Do dancing contest in 1989 but did not win. As a result of this disappointment, Azigiza Jnr decided to give up dancing but was impressed upon by the ace radio and television presenter, Kwasi Kyei Darkwa (KKD), not to give up but try and explore other avenues in the showbiz sector.

With this brotherly advice, he ventured into disc jockeying and, in no time, made his mark in the DJ realm, with an overwhelming triumph in 1991 as the Best West African DJ at a contest held in the Republic of Togo. He followed it with another first in 1993, when he emerged the Best African DJ.

After achieving these facts, Azigiza Jnr, who had by then spinned for the Moon Dogs, MEC Sounds and Zayaa Sounds, all spinning group, changed his outlook and confined his work to night clubs.

He was resident DJ of top Accra nightclubs, which included the Golden Egg, Glenns and Miracle Mirage. He has also featured in a number of Club Beer and Guinness promotion programmes. In fact he was into any activity that was associated with fun. He hosted the JOY FM Joy Beach Jam, Guinness Music For Your Dancing Feet, on GTV, Video Vibes and the Azigiza Show.

According to him, all along he had been reflecting on what to do with his life. It was around that period that he came out with his first album, 'Me do wo Abena', in 1994, which had to the top hit, 'Kponkpa'. In 1995, he released 'Two degrees Kponkpa' and followed it with another hit 'Wo ye bea', in 1996, which he featured Tic Tac.

Azigiza says after this album, he started stumbling into the knowledge of Jesus. At that time, he only went to church to merely chase the beautiful 'chrife' girls.

He said his modus operandi was to commit into memory some aspects of the Bible to impress upon her prey that he was religious inclined. Azigiza said at a point in time after he had realized he had satisfied himself with all the worldly things one could think of, he started seeking Jesus.

Interestingly, he said, nobody ministered to him but when he started losing some of the few business contracts he had, he started paying serious attention to the word of God. He started with the Jesus Power, at Bintu Complex at Kwashieman, Accra, and later was invited by Rev. Owusu Bempah to the End Time Ministries, where he met his wife, Trudy, then in the church's choir.

After two years with End Time Ministries, headed by Rev. Ebenezer Markwei,  whom he described as a very good man, his spiritual father and mentor.

He said in 1998, he gave his life to Christ and had since been to some Bible schools, studying the word of God. He said at the moment he serves everywhere and anywhere.

"I go to schools to preach and pray with some of the young guys, I have the TV ministry, the Azigiza Gospel Show on TV3, which I use to send the message across that one can be funky in Jesus. I have packaged Jesus in such a way that the youth know Him and realize that there is liberty in the house of the Lord".

Azigiza said he normally visited the schools on entertainment nights and rapped and danced with the students and later talked to them about Jesus. "I try to bring Jesus to them in the language that they understand, and I tell them that we should worship God". He also admonishes the young ones not to forget that Jesus is Lord.

He said since his conversion, he normally did not meet his old friends but the few who came to him get inspired and motivated to give their lives to Jesus because of the way he related to his wife in their presence.

Azigiza has not limited his ministration to Ghana. He has been to the Caribbean's, particularly Barbados, Puerto Rico and Tortolla, a British Virgin Island, to preach and sing to the glory of God. He released his debut gospel album 'Into the Light' in 2002. His second album will be out in January.

Azigiza, the only boy in a family of four, was born on July 19, 1970 to Mr. Victor Kpakpo Addo Snr, a retired salesman and Mrs. Bernice Akweley Addo, a retired headteacher.

He started school at the Bethel Modern Preparatory at Abossey Okai. He continued at the St. John's Grammar but had to stop school for three years because of a stand-off between him and his disciplinarian mother.

According to him he was bent on being in showbiz but his mother was not ready to see her son behave as a 'public toy'. This difference between them made Azigiza Jnr. leave home and stay with friends.

Later when mother and son decided to live together, he continued his secondary school. After Ghanatta, he did some courses in disc jockeying and public speaking. Following his conversion, he had a stint at the North Carolina Bible College in 2001, under the tutelage of Dr. Kingsley Fletcher.

At the moment, Azigiza Jnr. is pursing a correspondence course in Videography. He admires Kirk Franklin, the top American gospel musician, for his radicalism for Jesus.

He is grateful to Fan Milk Ghana Limited and Vita Malt for sponsoring his the Azigiza Gospel Show. He is also grateful to Rev. and Mrs. Ato Hagan of Beautiful Gateway for grooming his wife for him when they agreed to marry.

His wife, Trudy, supports him in his work and she is the director of Azigiza Productions. They have a one year eight months old son, Jedediah (Beloved of the Lord). He loves watching football with passion.