Kumasi actor, Samuel Ofori complains of nepotism in Ghanaian media

Samuel Ofori is a distinguished actor cum director based in Kumasi. Producing every movie he’d directed, the most handsome was voted as the screen playboy in 2008. Samuel Ofori had four nominations in the just ended Movie Awards for the Best Actor in Leading Role, Best Directing, Best Original Song for the movie, Fake London Boy and Best Visual Effect for the movie, Dirty Game (all in the English categories)

In the maiden edition, a movie he directed “Akrasi Bogger” won Rosemary Akua Ataa Mensah (Kyeiwaa) the Best Actress in a Leading Role Award (local language) granting him a nomination too for the category of Best Actor Supporting Role (local language). On the other hand, Fake London Boy, his latest directed and featuring as well movie is making waves at marketing and was rated among the Five Most Sold Movies in 2011 by the Movie Marketers Association (both Local and English Movies.)

In an interview with him over the weekend, he referred to the Accra Media as “The Races Media” which he simply puts as “R.M”. He said, “You guys are discriminators, you only write and talk of the Greater Accra Industry. We are not inferior so please regard our industry.” “(Sighs) it’s so funny that we are called the Local industry because I strictly do English in contrast with the past and I know of other producers who does same,” he added.

The grief of the fashionable actor lies more on TV and Radio. Quoting him as saying, “I love to watch and listen to most of the entertainment shows of the Accra Media but I’ve never heard or seen a Kumasi based actor being interview on any of these networks. Please treat us as one family for we equally respect you to the Kumasi based presenters.

Contrary to the above, this reporter also thinks the artistes are rather Anti-Greater Accra Media. The fear to speak English draw them back forgotten that interviews can be done in any language. Speaking to Steward and Eyra Doe, producers of the Late Night Celebrity Show and Awake respectively on Etv. Ghana, said, “Is either they say Accra is too far or they are on set. Is like they never go on a break.” the producers wonder.