ACCRA: Ghanaian dancer Lisa Quama revealed that she faced a six-month suspension from her senior high school after posting a dance video online while wearing her school uniform. The incident, which occurred during her tenure as a student, highlights the tension between creative expression and institutional rules.
According to Ghana Web, Lisa recounted in an interview with Joy Prime how she was asked to create a dance video to promote Nigerian singer Teni’s song “Billionaire.” Without anticipating the potential repercussions, she complied and uploaded the video on social media. Shortly thereafter, school authorities discovered the video, leading to an internal suspension and hard labor for Lisa and other participating students.
“The suspension was for six months,” Lisa explained. She described how a request from her manager during a weekend visit led her to make the video in her school uniform, thinking it would be a unique way to showcase her dual identity as a student and dancer. However, once the video ci
rculated on Facebook, it drew the attention of her headmaster, who shared it with the school’s alumni group, prompting questions about the presence of the school uniform online.
Lisa, who was the entertainment prefect at the time, was called out during a school assembly and subsequently faced punishment alongside her friends. They were required to fetch 50 buckets of sand daily, a task made more arduous by the school’s hilly location. After a week, some male colleagues joined in the punishment but ultimately stopped, leaving the boys to finish the task.
Despite the disciplinary action, Lisa Naa Quama Darko, as she is formally known, has become one of the most prominent and celebrated alumni of her school. Her story is a compelling draw for prospective students, many of whom are inspired by her success in the entertainment industry.
“Now when I get to the school, they don’t even want me to leave. They want me to talk to the kids and involve me in their programs. People are choosing that school because of me
,” she shared, reflecting on her journey from punishment to prominence.