The girls are sitting around a table getting ready for rehearsal. Opoku is at the next table, close enough but distanced. The subject of names comes up. When he speaks, he smiles. Opoku tells the teens about naming patterns in Ghana.
Middle names come from the day of the week, and then it is combined with the family name.
His last name, Opoku, means great warrior. Opoku's smile is broad, but his voice is quiet. Age and culture lines vanish, and the four African musicians on stage blend perfectly with the teen-age dancers. Mrs. Opoku, a Central City native, and Opoku met in Finland while they were musicians in separate groups. After 16 years away from family, she returned to Nebraska with Opoku.