Donald Gwira: Martial arts legend, corporate communications giant

Mr. Donald Gwira might not need much introduction in corporate circles. He is an astute professional with solid background in Corporate Communication, Development, Advocacy and Project Management.

But this is not all that he is made of. He is a force to reckon with and cannot be underestimated in the art of self-defence as he holds fifth degree black belt in African Goju.

The Spectator recently interacted with the legend who has earned the title “Great Warrior” for his exceptional tactics and contribution to the sport in Ghana and abroad.

Exposure

Highlighting his progression through various forms of martial art, Mr. Gwira acknowledged the influence of his three siblings who were all well-versed in the sport.

According to him, the interest grew at age 12 following his exposure to Kunfu movies and had to study under his elder brother, Danny Gwira, in the early 70s at Adisadel College.

“When my brother left, I took over and started teaching [martial arts] in form two at Adisadel College. We organised martial art competitions, did a lot of demonstrations and started spreading martial arts in schools in Cape Coast,” he recalled.

After secondary school, he continued his education at American College in France (now American University of Paris) where he started a martial art institute before proceeding to Howard University in the United States of America (USA) for his Master’s Degree.

At Howard University, he again formed clubs and continued teaching and sharpening his skills until he returned to Ghana.

“I started with Taekwondo, moved on to Shotokan (Japanese form of martial art), and then to Chinese Goju and later migrated to African Goju, which was started by my brother,” he noted.

In 1979, young Donald obtained his first degree black belt and kept training until he secured his fifth degree black belt in 1995. He stopped teaching martial art in 1998 but continued to maintain regular exercise and fitness regime at home to enhance his health and physique.

“The more I trained, the better I became. At my age, I still keep fit; I do a lot of walks every day and I sometimes do sit ups and push ups at home or at the gym to stay active,” he said.

Achievement

The flying kick specialist set an unbeaten record in 1979 after jumping over 12 people to break a two-inch-thick tile at the Burma Camp when the Martial Art Institute did a demonstration for the Ghana Army.

That same year, he was crowned ‘Martial Artist of the Year’ and went ahead to be adjudged the ‘Best Kata’ and ‘Best Breaking’ in 1980 and 1981 respectively. ‘Kata’, he explained, “are a series of leg and hand movements that help one defend him or herself from more than one attacker.”

In 2010, he was named Life Patron and inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Martial Arts Institute for his ‘’outstanding and appreciable’’ contribution to African Goju in France, the USA and Ghana.

He and his three brothers, on separate occasions, were responsible for training the personal body guards of former Head of State, General Kutu Acheampong.

With over 40 years experience in the art, Mr. Gwira continues to attend karate and martial arts tournaments organised locally and looks forward to training more young people to accomplish more than he has achieved.

Corporate Experience

The fighter holds a Bachelor’s Degree in International Affairs from American University in Paris, and a Master’s in Political Science from Howard University, USA.

Currently an Independent Communications Consultant, he worked at Airtel Ghana, Guinness Ghana Breweries, International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IABP), among other organisations and served also on boards of some public institutions, including New Times Corporation, publishers of Ghanaian Times and The Spectator.

In 2017, he was named one of the ‘Most Impactful Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Leader’ while at Afriwave Telecom as Corporate Affairs Director.

He said the philosophies of martial art which became useful in aspects of his career, could be applied to personal and business endeavours, stressing that discipline, timeliness and preparation should guide young people in the corporate world.

“In martial art, you have to get your timing right; if you miss a split second, you get hit. When you transfer this into real life, it helps you to be more productive,” he said.

The powerhouse of martial arts, therefore, advocates that Martial Arts should be taught in basic schools while efforts be made to develop other forms of sport, apart from football.

Other Engagements

Mr. Gwira, from Elmina in the Central Region, is married to Mrs. Frances Gwira with four children. He is a member of the Agape Church at East Legon, Accra.

All his children, he said, had taken up one form of sport or the other with the youngest, a promising swimmer, aiming to win Gold for the Black Dolphins at future Olympics.

Admitting the rewards of martial art, he noted that those willing to take up the art should be ready to train everyday adding that progress depended on how fast one was able to learn the techniques.  

Asked how long one must study martial art, he said: “There is no stopping; the only ingredient is to keep practising everyday.”

All things being equal, the 61-year-old would want to attain a Ninth Degree Black Belt in Martial Art.

By Ernest Nutsugah