Famous Ghanaian actress Yvonne Nelson claims that when the Film Producers Association of Ghana (FIPAG) issued a ban on her in 2010, she felt betrayed by her fellow actors.
After getting into a fight with movie producer Abdul Salam Mumuni, Nelson was given a ban.
She claimed that the elder female performers who abandoned her after she was victimized by the all-male movie producers left her feeling largely betrayed.
The actress claimed that Majid Michel was the only actor who helped her through her difficult times in her new book, “I Am Not Yvonne Nelson,” which was released at Peduase Lodge on Sunday, June 18. He also made an effort to settle her dispute with Abdul Salam.
My peers in the film profession, especially the older female performers, made me feel betrayed. They were the ones I needed to help me address the all-male producers because I believed I was being bullied. I anticipated a chorus of criticism from the actors if what they did to me was intended to send a message to the people they hired to perform for them, a message that no one was indispensable and that they might choose to teach anyone a lesson. That didn’t take place. I was by myself. And I did so directly.
Majid Michel, who remained by my side during the chaos, was one exception in this instance. He stood up for me and even attempted to negotiate with Abdul Salam, but it was unsuccessful. He was one of the three people I went to Akosombo with to meet the movie producers who had requested a meeting.
The other two were Frank Raja and Fred Nuamah. I recognized Augustine Abbey, also known as Idikoko, among the film producers in Akosombo. I believed that by watching him on television as a child, this man would inspire and motivate the next generation to succeed.
Instead, he was standing on the side of a group of men who believed they were in charge of the bread and the whip and had the authority to withhold a bite from anyone who refused to be lashed in their absurd line. They were quite disrespectful in the meeting.
She went on to describe how Abdul Salam, the person who initiated the ban, later made amends with her.
“I’m still baffled as to why they wanted to meet with me; nothing significant came of it.
They may have assumed that I would go and bow before them and beg them to lift my ban. I didn’t carry it out. Majid, Frank Raja, and I left Akosombo without receiving any indication that they would take action to lift the prohibition. It continued.
However, there were gaps in the producers’ ranks during that year. I was cast in a movie by Media Five Productions’ David Owusu in defiance of the embargo, but the movie couldn’t be released until the ban was lifted.
Abdul Salam, the person behind the ban, approached me to try to make amends. He advised us to put the past behind us and cooperate. I produced two movies with him. The other producers were unaware of this because the prohibition was still in effect. Producer Socrates Sarfo, who asked me out to dinner, expressed his displeasure with Abdul Salam’s actions to me.
I have no idea why everyone suddenly descended from their pedestals and began vying for my attention. But if I had to guess, I’d attribute it to their ban’s failure to have the desired impact. They initially believed the ban would destroy me, but they quickly realized it had really raised my visibility.
Source: Citinewsroom
