Kumawood actors angry with Sports Ministry for sidelining them

Actors in Kumasi Movie Industry (Kumawood) have expressed their dissatisfaction over the list of personalities the Ministry of Youth and Sports unveiled as Ghana’s official Ambassadors for the 2014 Brazil World Cup, which excludes them.

The ambassadors include Becca, John Dumelo, Jackie Appiah, Grace Ashy, CK Akonnor, Tony Baffoe, Abedi ‘Pele’ Ayew, Kwame Ayew, Augustine Ahinful, Samuel Osei Kuffour, Tony Yeboah, Azumah Nelson and Ali Jarrah among other things are responsible for campaigning to the corporate world and the general public for support towards Ghana’s journey to world cup glory.

Speaking on behalf of the angry actors on Peace FM’s entertainment review on Saturday, the president of Kumasi Actors Guild, Bill Asamoah disclosed that Kumasi actors are not happy about the personalities picked as ambassadors for the campaign which debar Kumasi actors.

He further stated that Kumasi football fanatics and actors played a key role in the qualification of the Black Stars to this year’s World Cup, which kicks off on June 13. He added that they visited the team to assure them of their support any time they were in Kumasi to play a match.

“Almost all the Black Stars supporters are in Kumasi and anytime they were here for a match, we the actors here didn’t forsake them. We visited, welcomed them and gave them every moral support needed but if they are soliciting for supporters for Brazil, how do they exclude Kumasi celebrities?”

According to him, the ministry should have named a Kumawood actor instead of the two glamour actors, John Dumelo and Jackie Appiah.

“We are canvassing for supporters for Ghana as a whole but not for only Accra or Tema; it should have been uniform because there are two big movie industries in Ghana now.”

He added that the association will be submitting its plea to the office of the Sports Ministry in Kumasi latest by Tuesday, June 3rd.

But reacting to the sentiments of Kumawood actors, Coordinating Manager for the ambassadors campaigning to raise funds to enable the supporters union of Ghana to travel to Brazil in order to support the Ghana Black Stars, Maame Efua Wajeto said the ministry wanted actors who can represent both the local and English language hence their choice for the two English actors.

“We wanted popular actors who can represent both the Twi and English language. Also acting is the sole business for these two people, John Dumelo and Jackie Appiah. These people have redefined acting in Ghana and have become icons in their own ways”