Sally Mann
CONTROVERSIAL MEDIA personality, Sally Mann, has joined many Ghanaians in questioning Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa on the criteria used in selecting the five personalities to be granted diplomatic passports as part of a move to strengthen the country’s cultural and people-to-people diplomacy.
Speaking on her show, Showtym on Adom TV, Sally Mann emphatically stated that the likes of Sarkodie, Shatta Wale, King Promise among other big names deserve the honour of being given diplomatic passports.
She said, aside from Wode Maya and Rocky Dawuni, the other three did not merit a diplomatic passport, questioning their level of influence in attracting diasporans to Ghana.
“Aside from Wode Maya, Rocky Dawuni, no other person on it deserves a diplomatic passport. Because in Ghana, our biggest exports are music and football. There has not been any other person in this country who has marketed the country in those two sectors,” she pointed out.
Sally Mann added that, “When you travel outside the country, the first name people mention is Asamoah Gyan, Stephen Appiah, and Michael Essien. If you want those who can attract the masses to Ghana based on the assignment given by government, who is Anita Erskine? She does not have enough popularity to bring any diaspora person here, and that’s in my opinion.”
“Same as Lady Dentaa, yes Grammy’s, GUBA awards among others – but those projects she initiated are for her personal interest, just as the musicians and the footballers have been doing their personal projects,” she added.
Sally Mann expressed disappointment in the government’s inability to honour the likes of Sarkodie, Shatta Wale, Stonebwoy, and King Promise, stressing, “If you look at Wode Maya, his impact is felt across the continent, so his diplomatic honours were expected. But to abandon the likes of Sarkodie, who has advocated for Ghana’s diplomatic passport for a long time, for you to choose Anita because she is a correspondent for MNET’s Studio 53, I think they did a disservice to us.”
Sally Mann further stated that the diplomatic passports issue was a family and friends affair, saying, “Honourable Okudzeto Ablakwa, it wasn’t carefully planned at all, this is a family and friends giving diplomatic passports to people. If it was properly planned, the two segments selling Ghana are music and football. Yes, they might deserve it, but they are C-listed people to consider.”
Sally Mann’s submission follows an earlier submission made by media personality Nana Aba Anamoah questioning the criteria used to select five Ghanaians for diplomatic passports.
She argued that the selection process seems elitist, favouring English-speaking personalities over those who promote local languages. She believes Nana Ama McBrown, a popular Ghanaian actress, deserves a spot on the list due to her significant influence in Ghanaian communities worldwide.
BY Prince Fiifi Yorke