In 2014; News Editor for Ultimate 106.9 FM in Kumasi, Ebenezer Afanyi Dadzie introduced to us a big man with an incredibly warm personality. He had a big and heavy voice that matched his broad and tall stature. He was really just kind and friendly to everyone; going about his work as a journalist. We were however marveled at different things we kept unraveling about this man called Julius Caesar Anadem. He added so much richness and value to our editorial meetings. After joining the morning show for newspaper reviews and some analysis; he occasionally chipped in some really mind blowing, daring and intriguing questions during interviews on the morning show, even though he was not the main host.
The General Manager Mr. Kofi Owusu who also doubled as the Morning Show Host would occasionally come to the newsroom to tell EBEN, ‘challey your guy is good. I like the way he went about the questioning.’ It was typical of Kofi, another very experienced broadcaster with an eye for spotting gold.
My working relationship with Caesar grew much closer when he begun hosting the morning show and joggling that with his regular newsroom activities. Later Eben left Kumasi and Caesar became the head of news. With his new role, the newsroom begun to feel his exceptional leadership qualities more evidently. He played a major role supporting the team to transition smoothly through a rebranding face effectively settling in a new EIB direction spearheaded by the CEO. Mr. Nathan Kwabena Adisi affectionately Bola Ray and his team.
Over the years; I have come to know Caesar as an epitome of resilience; strength, stability and assurance. As resilient as a palm tree straightening up after bending to beat the storm; rarely did I see Caesar shaken; not even when it was fifteen minutes to the bulletin and there were barely enough stories to cover the hour. He would sit steady; look over from his desk and ask; “Why?” … and add with an infectious smile, “don’t worry at all we are good to go.” I always wondered how he did the magic without sweat. A real PRO at his job.
Caesar had such a strong instinct for stories. His story pitching, ideation, angling, guidance and editing set the newsroom in full gear to battle it out in several local and international competitions. Always surely; we came down with awards. Under his leadership, the Ultimate Newsroom has bagged awards from the United Nations; Media Foundation for West Africa and the Embassy of the United States of America; a breathtaking number of Ashanti Region – local GJA awards as well as institutional recognitions for its impact.
Despite these achievements, Caesar was so humble. He never boasted, neither felt the need to show off nor prove a point even when people flaunted what he already knew. It took one occasion when we needed to do a television documentary to discover that beyond doing radio; Caesar was such a fantastic video documentary filmmaker with incredible skills in video editing.
We later found out from his former colleagues at Skyy, Radio Max, Discovery TV and Joy FM, some of Caesar’s exploits handling Television production. a rich past that explained how he could stay up so late and yet be at his desk before everyone else including the Breakfast Show team arrived at the office.
Caesar was so knowledgeable and experienced; our daily early morning editorial meetings became a masterclass for impactful journalism. You dared not come to editorial meetings without what we came to popularly call ‘YOUR STORY’. These were not the usual running stories about politicians and fluid issues that were already out there to be discussed. Your ideas had to be compelling; informative; wowing and above all impactful and memory invoking. Caesar would love to hear the stories of the single mother Koko seller who had managed to send all her children to University; the interview you planned having with that eccentric character; the story of someone’s hustle; the community and rural stories. Before he would finish deliberating on a story, he opened up the team to the wide expanse of possibilities in story searching.
Caesar was so supportive; he didn’t mind sacrificing personal resources to help any team member to get the job done. His VW Golf 3 and Golf 4 could literally narrate to you where each team member was because he would drive you there; wait for you and drive you back; something not often done by News Editors. I would never forget heading out with him and a cameraman to Manukrom; a cocoa cottage in the dead ends of Atwima Nwabeagya North.
Caesar had offered to drive us to the village of a woman who had given birth to triplets with no resources to care for them, a story I picked from a market woman who had been to the area to buy foodstuff. Here we were, in the middle of nowhere; with a VW Golf 4 driving towards a rugged road that had been split in two by an overflown river.
Caesar reached out to some farmers; located the shallowest part of the water and ventured straight into the pool. Our hearts were literally in our mouths till we appeared on dry ground.
When we found help for the starving triplets born to the cottage dweller, the company drivers who returned to Manukrom, this time with a Hilux Pickup full of relief items; foodstuff, bags of rice, Oil, baby food, toiletries, mattresses, blankets etc.; could not fathom how Caesar managed to navigate the treacherous terrain in his small Golf.
Unfortunately, the Golf 4; gave up on him and spent months at the fitting shop at Caesar’s own expense to get it back on the road. Yet his focus was not in the sacrifice. His joy was helping the team air a story that brought great help to the triplets, Kabiru, Muniru and Samira.
Caesar was such a bastion of positive energy. He had a way of finding possibility even in the worst situation. In the most trying times of the newsroom and the station’s business growth; Caesar was the fuel that kept us going. In the vague moments of uncertainty about the future, he would crack the most unusual joke and tell a story that would inspire us for days. We would gather around his table, bombarding him with questions and concerns as if he held all the answers, until he would playfully feign a speech impediment, mumbling “beebee baabaaba” to escape the barrage, leaving us all in laughter. He championed our ideas, refined them, and rallied the team to bring them to fruition.
Caesar’s organizational skills were unmatched. As programs manager, he would get everyone along. For each project, Caesar set up ad hoc teams and commanded from the back with absolute finesse. We were always marveled at the way he crafted his flawless messages punctuated with precision, assurances and motivation. He formed inner circles of presenters; DJs, technicians, interns and producers to ensure that all arms of the station converged seamlessly. Caesar could troubleshoot and find amicable solutions to teething problems with effortless ease.
His organizational grit was aptly in admirable display when commanded the most comprehensive election coverage machinery from the Ashanti Region. From recruiting reporters for all 47 constituencies to training them, handling logistical challenges, and coordinating on-air activities, no stone was left unturned. On our What’s App pages, we were the most privileged to be receiving briefings, personal calls, notices and directions on what to do virtually throughout Election Days. I can almost vividly remember his message to all reporters on ground; “we are getting to a crucial part of the day. Make sure your phones are well charged and head to polling stations. Give us visuals of the ballot counting process and pick reactions. If you’ve had enough, you can proceed to the collation centers. Please keep safe,”
Caesar’s extensive network allowed him to assist anyone, anywhere, with a single phone call. Some of us in the newsroom even suspected he was secretly working for National Security, a notion he always dismissed with a hearty laugh.
Caesar was such a human resource manager. If you ever wondered how matured Lions and leopards, goats and sheep; cats and dogs; innocent doves and wild ravens could live harmoniously together in their fullest expression and nature; the best person to ask would be Caesar. He built such a strong culture of resolving conflicts and building strong caring bonds that diffused tensions. Caesar created a congenial and supportive environment that engendered creativity, convergence and productivity.
Our team was a melting pot of personalities: the troublesome, the quarrelsome, the stubborn, the hyper, the laid-back, the trouble-finders, the problematic, the brilliant, the innocent, the aggressive, the prim and proper, the snobbish, the disrespectful, the obedient, and the adventurous and the ones with a mixture of shades. They know themselves;
Patricia Ama Bonsu; PK Dickson, Eno Safo, Fentuo Tahiru, Asare Bediako, Kwame Adarkwah, Frema Boakye, Delectable Leticia Osei; Abraham Alokore, Benjamin Yamoah Bengazy, Joseph Oppong Brenya, Isaac Bediako Justice, Osei Kwadwo the ambassador, Debator, Nana Ama Annor, Maame Nyarko, Akua Adepa, El Lizato; Peprah Promise, Wofa Attah Frimpong; Kofi Akyenkwaa, Mmrantiehene Wreko Brobey and the list is endless.
This was a strong and dynamic group of professionals with varied aspirations and motivations. Despite our differences, Caesar fostered a culture of open communication and respect. It was common to see colleagues who had just engaged in a heated debate walking arm in arm, planning lunch together. We were empowered to address issues directly with one another. We even felt comfortable summoning the General Manager to our editorial meetings to discuss our concerns. That was how enlightened and open Caesar trained the newsroom to be.
Caesar’s little welcome ceremony which he christened ‘Knowing Me; Knowing You’ became a household affair. Every staff or intern who joined the brand or even visited the station had to go through this ritual without spare. At this session which Caesar chaired; you were required to stand in the middle of the newsroom with every other staff surrounding you. You could expect all kinds of questions. Life; Career aspirations; strengths, weaknesses, your sex life; relationships; the creepiest question you could ever imagine could come at you. Only Caesar had the right to overrule a question.
At the end of each session; the newcomer also had the chance to ask each of us a question. Some sailed through safe; others had it tough, some cried but in the end everyone who passed through ‘Knowing Me; Knowing You’ would agree it was their best welcome, into any institution. It helped people settle in faster and more warmly. And guess what? The very people who cried; were the most eager to look out for the next ‘knowing me; knowing you’ when they would be eligible to grill a new entrant.
Giving people the opportunity to shine was a hallmark of Mr. Anadem. When I worked with him as assisting editor; he would commission interns to work on features. They might not be up to scratch but he would ask that I let it pass for one reason. ‘I just want them to hear their report aired on air. It makes a whole world of difference.’ I could literally see how well those interns begun picking up and doing amazing things. You were sure of his big voice refusing to accept any excuses whenever you went wrong. But rest assured, Caesar would give you another opportunity as if you never messed up. Any member of the newsroom could easily complete his popular maxim, ‘you are as good as your last performance.’
I owe a profound debt of gratitude to Julius Caesar, whose unwavering mission to bring out the best in people profoundly impacted my life. My low vision didn’t make me any motivated to step out for stories. I was usually doing the news desk reports, running tons of interviews over the phone; occasionally writing out questions for anyone who went out to a function where I knew I would get some good interview for my next project; working with correspondents to get their stories through and doing heavy research and production behind the scenes. Caesar called me and told me, he will start assigning me stories out there because he felt I could do much more. It is not rocket science. “Let me know which ever help you will need,” those reassuring words turned on a new light in me.
Under Caesar’s guidance, I began to cover a wide range of stories across diverse terrains, including the tumultuous KNUST Katanga – Conti demonstrations that witnessed massive destruction on campus. He would send me outside the region and get an intern to guide me; put me on tours, get me to go do interviews with all kinds of persons till I developed my entire coping tool kit for every kind of assignment. I owe all my exploits in the media to his guidance and I remain thankful to God for sending him my way.
Beyond work, Caesar became more than just a mentor; he was my closest friend, a big brother figure, and my coach. Caesar always kept an eye out for me. He appreciated my struggles and knew just how to support me deal with my sight challenges. At every major juncture of my life Caesar has been there. We literally shuffled many times between Kumasi and Accra together pursuing a Masters Program together at the UNIMAAC School of Graduate Studies and Research. We did virtual lectures together. My family was his family so was his, mine. His friends were my friends; so were mine, his.
These were Caesar’s overt human relations and visible interactions with everyone. But deep in our hearts; there are so many ‘screw up moments’ which we never shared with anyone but Caesar. He was the only one who could see through your eyes, your posture and demeanor and tell you there was something bothering you; no matter how hard you pretended. Caesar provided an ear to listen, a shoulder to cry on and a presence to see you through every struggle. He didn’t mind stepping in at any time to intervene with the most matured approach and advise.
He would provide the safest place to help your safe landing and by the time you landed in safety, you would realize he would still be there to ensure you were completely out of danger before he would retreat. Caesar never judged; no matter how bad the stink. There were moments Caesar put his job on the line to aid troubled colleagues navigate very complex situations very discretely.
Caesar was such a man of strong morals. He built a network of sincere friendships and love for people but never made money a motivation for his relationship with anyone. Caesar would tell us ‘it is not all about money; build relationships.” Caesar inspired many to quit excessive alcohol intake when for several years; he totally quit the bottles. Many interns drew valuable inspiration from his life stories and perspectives on real life issues; one they would never find anyone to look straight in their eyes to discuss.
He built such a strong and inclusive work culture with no tolerance for violence, harassment, discrimination nor abuse of any form or shape. A playful threat from two male interns to hit a lady’s backside got them a straight two-week suspension. That was how strict Caesar was. Caesar’s respect for people was so encompassing, you dared not disrespect the lowest ranked staff. His best pals were the cleaners, the drivers and the watchmen, a virtue he literally whipped us in line to uphold.
A man like Caesar with all these beautiful sides to him could definitely not be an antisocial person. Caesar loved his sports and hanging out with his friends, his wife, his sweet daughter and colleagues at least until ill-health required that he slowed down on vigorous activity. His nature played out on air making him one of the best interviewers I have ever worked with. Any politician or regular panel came to Caesar’s show excited but prepared. He will stoke flames; he will make listeners laugh; he will corner people, he will play the devil’s advocate, he would stir controversy, he will give you the headlines but everyone will leave satisfied and excited to have another show with Caesar.
It has been amazing putting together his production scripts; getting him the big interviews and soundbites and working with him through the ‘Ultimate Cup of Tea’ these past years till his untimely demise. He made production very simple and seamless. Nothing surprised him and no studio glitch got him either frustrated or worked up. The show just needed to roll and he had all the technical competence and composure to make it happen.
Indeed, we have lost a gem; a fine brain; a warm personality; an inspiration; a great leader; a father, a brother, a close confidant, a pillar, a rare angel of a human being. I literally struggled to put myself together to write something about him. The emotions were overpowering. In fact, I hid in a recording studio to weep through a poetic piece I wrote. As pained as I feel however, my heart is consoled that I could brave it to write something about my boss Julius Caesar Anadem. Many students will continue to type your name in search boxes to revisit your interviews on Facebook and YouTube and learn a lot from you.
May your Gentle Soul eternally rest in perfect peace. I love you Caesar! You will forever be in my heart.
