Stop judging Moesha – CNN’s Amanpour

CNN's Christiane Amanpour has jumped to the defense of controversial actress, Moesha Boduong following harsh criticisms against the actress in a recent interview with the international news outlet where she said among others that the economy of Ghana had forced her to sleep with married men for rent and also to take care of her needs.

The interview did not only stir public anger but also caused the Gender Ministry to issue a statement to condemn the actress for her remarks which in their opinion sought to suggest that Ghanaian women are dependent on men such that some even trade sex for monetary gains just to survive.

Ms Boduong has subsequently apologised for her remarks but host of the show, Christine Amanpour believes Ms Boduong is the target of public shaming by the Ghanaian press and the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection.

According to her, the comments are an affront to the country's acclaimed free speech environment to the point that Ms Boduong fears returning to the country safely.

In a write up, the renowed journalist said “it was quite distressing to hear that one of our contributors, Moesha Boduong, has been the target of public shaming by the Ghanaian press and the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection. Numerous media outlets in Ghana have taken to villainising this young woman based on an excerpt of the conversation included in a 1 minute, 30 second video of "Sex and Love."

“As the host and the namesake of this series, I feel compelled to speak up on behalf of our contributor. I want people to recognize Moesha's right to speak up and the courage she showed by sharing such intimate details about her personal life.

“As a woman and a journalist, I'm hurt and angry to see such an innocent woman condemned by the press and by many people on social media in this way. It's to the point that Moesha is not sure she can return to Ghana safely. I am so surprised to see this happening in Accra, a city that has rightly got so much attention recently for being one of the most economically and politically successful capitals in Africa. Indeed I was heartened while I was in Accra, listening to a speech by the President himself, defending the rights of the free press to report fully, accurately and fairly.

“That is what we did, with help from the many wonderful Ghanaians who participated in this beautiful story. It was a range of women, young and mature, single, married, divorced, widowed, Christian, Muslim, Vodun, a bead seller, an OBGYN, even a market queen: Everyone acknowledged that love in Accra is complex but no one judged the choices another woman makes in the pursuit of love and happiness. And in this city that calls itself the most religious in the world, we spoke to men, too, including the Archbishop of the Action Chapel megachurch who told us "We don't put women down in our society. We don't do that. I'm surrounded by women. The success of my ministry, many, many ways I can equate it to the women around me."



“I urge my colleagues in the Ghanaian press to reserve judgment for the whole episode, and for the people to understand that all must be seen in context, not judged on one excerpt.

“I also respectfully urge the President of Ghana and the minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection to stand up for the rights of one of their own who was simply enjoying a carefree, boisterous and mostly humorous conversation with me.

“I want women all over the world to know they can and should be able to talk about matters of sex and love without fear and without shame.”