On Wednesday, December 2nd 2020, social media was sent into overdrive after several Ghanaian actors stormed Ayawaso West Wuogon to campaign for the NPP MP for the constituency, Lydia Alhassan.
These actors, including Kalybos, Prince David Osei and Bibi Bright, immediately started trending massively on social media, apparently for having ‘betrayed’ their colleague John Dumelo by abandoning him and campaigning for his opponent.
Beverly Afaglo in response said that those actors have been paid to tarnish the name of John Dumelo and campaign for his opponent.
Based on the backlash against them, including attacks from fellow actors, we’re supposed to believe that they have betrayed their profession by not supporting John to get into parliament.
These actors are apparently supposed to hide their own political beliefs and just follow John because he’s also an actor.
These expectations betray a huge problem with the way we think about issues in Ghana – in a binary and black and white way which is actually hugely problematic.
It’s insane, and pathetically shallow thinking, for anyone to think that just because John Dumelo is an actor, other actors must automatically support him.
Dumelo belongs to a political party with its own political beliefs and ideals. If voted into power, it’s highly likely he would work at implementing the ideals of this party, aka the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The fact that he’s an actor does not change that. And the fact that Prince David Osei is an actor does not change his own political ideals.
Osei has been vocal on record about his disdain for the NDC and their flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama. He infamously said that Mahama running for President once again is an insult to Ghanaians.
Bibi Bright has also been supporting the NPP for years now – it’s an insult to these people to expect them to just swallow their political alliances and jump after John because they just happen to all have the same profession.
That expectation is because Ghanaians are deep down embedded with tribalistic and nepotistic thinking. It’s essentially saying that because David Osei shares an occupation with John, he should choose him for the job irrespective of whether he believes him to be qualified or not!
This problematic thinking pattern happens in all sorts of contexts. If you support a party, you’re supposed to support them in anything they do and never criticize them because you must not betray your ‘side’.
In arguments online, Ghanaians are quick to assume you’re NDC if you support them on an issue or vice versa. People can never perceive that you be part of a group and criticize them or praise another group you’re not even a part of!
We do this and wonder why everything in Ghana is about whom you know. You can’t get a job in this country without knowing someone already in that job and we have assimilated this thinking deep into our subconscious.
We glorify nepotism which is only a form of corruption. It’s no wonder our society is so corrupt top to bottom.
Actors must not support another actor politically just because he’s an actor. That’s a dumb line of thinking and Ghanaians should better wake up from that mindset! It has nothing better to offer us going forward.
Source: GhanaCelebrities.Com