Insults becoming too much in local movies – Actor 'Efo'

THERE is no doubt about the fact that the Akan movie industry, popularly known as Kumawood, has contributed a lot to the Ghanaian movie scene.

However, as much as people enjoy Kumawood movies, for years, some have raised concerns about the kind of language used.

A lot of patrons have complained about the many insults that characterise their favourite movies which are a big turn off and actor, Jordan Adewealor, popularly known as Efo in movies, agrees which is why he is calling on producers to control the practice.

“Inasmuch as we want to entertain the fans, the insults do not help in any way. We have children watching our movies so we need to be very mindful of our choice of words. What are we teaching them if we use all the bad words,” he told Graphic Showbiz.

According to Jordan, filmmakers could still tell relevant stories without adding insults.

“I have watched some Kumawood movies without insults and the messages were so clear. Once in a while, we can chip in some insults but some movies contain too many of it and that’s is not good for our children,” he added.

Jordan has starred in movies such as Megye Wo Girl, Mabre Egu, Catastrophe, Hwe Nea Odo Aye Me, Poverty Hazard, Bukom Banku and Lil Win Goes To School among others and said language should not be a barrier when acting was concerned.

“Initially I thought my pronunciation was going to be a problem because I am Ewe and some of my pronunciation of the Twi words sounds funny. But I didn’t please anyone and went ahead and said them in the best way I could and today, I am one of the fastest rising actors in Kumawood.

He explained a good actor should be able to express him/herself no matter the tribe one belonged to. “I sometimes speak Ewe in some of the scenes and it fits perfectly. My Ewe people feel so happy when they see me speak the language and represent them in movies,” he said.

Efo urged government to pump money into the movie industry to ensure it bounced back and also pleaded with TV stations to partner producers to show more local content.