Ghanaian actor Adjetey Anang, known by his stage name Pusher, has expressed his support for Nollywood actress Omotola Kalade-Ekeinde’s call for the western film industry to stop casting black Americans as Africans in their movies.
Speaking on Adom TV, Anang believes that the industry should instead explore native African talent.
“There is a need to bridge the gap since there are equally talented African-born actors and actresses who are more followed than those in the west,” Anang said.
He acknowledged that budget constraints are a significant factor hindering the African film industry. Without these constraints, he believes the world would have a different picture of the continent.
He also said, “At the end of the day, they determine the shots because they have the money. That means we should have investors in our industry to push big budgets.
“If it’s about us, we need to project ourselves, but I think it’s about time they explore our talented actors and actresses. In the spirit of globalization, we shouldn’t close all windows.”
In an interview with GhanaWeb at the Women of Valour event, Omotola urged western filmmakers to understand Africa’s complexity and to stop portraying Africans as different people while encouraging Africans to stand up for themselves. When you have roles for Africans, stop casting Americans as Africans. It makes no sense.”
In response, Anang said that having western actors and filmmakers present in Africa would boost the film industry entirely.
“Boris Kodjoe and Idris Elba all want to do something here. It will be nice to see Samuel Jackson on a project here. There is a need to have that relationship so that we are not cut entirely.
“They have their fan base that we can gain from commercially to strengthen our base. Collaboration is good, but they need to give us that to portray our history,” he stated.
The actor further asked the western film industry to pay more attention to accents when producing movies about Africa.
“We West Africans have a way we talk. We all have slightly distinct accents. They generalize it, which is wrong. It comes from a specific place, and accents play a role when talking about someone’s story and history. That is why they need to explore some of these things and get the characterization right,” he said.
Ghanaian actor, Adjetey Anang