Ghanaian Actress Gloria Sarfo has expressed deep frustration over a recent incident at the airport that left her and other Ghanaian actors embarrassed and stranded.
This according to her, was due to the ill-treatment meted out to them by the organisers of the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA).
The 2024 edition of the awards ceremony took place in Lagos, Nigeria, where several Ghanaian actors, including Jackie Appiah, who received nominations in leading categories, were invited to attend.
Gloria Osei Sarfo, who was also invited to grace the event, described what was meant to be an all-expenses-paid trip as one of her worst experiences.
Taking to social media, the Ghanaian actress called out the organisers over the unpleasant ordeal, stating that she and her colleagues, including veteran actors, were shocked to find their flight tickets were invalid at the airport.
She said they were left to wait for hours without any communication from the organisers when they reached out to them about the development.
“This was a total embarrassment. We had to tell the other Ghanaian actors on their way to the airport to turn back,” she lamented.
“You can’t invite me on an all-expenses-paid trip and leave me stranded at the airport. The embarrassment was unbearable! We stood there for hours, and although there were media personnel around, they were also caught in the same situation, so I’m not sure they did not capture the chaos.”
Gloria stated that prominent filmmakers, including Abdul Salam Mumuni, Akorfa Edjeani Aseidu, and Julia Apea, among others were also affected.
“The likes of Abdul Salam Mumuni, Akorfa Edjeani Aseidu, Julia Apea, our big filmmakers were all stranded. These are filmmakers who even started filmmaking before most of these Nigerians did.
“We did not sleep, we woke up at dawn to get to the airport only to be stranded like this. We had to let those on their way return home so they don't face this embarrassment. If it were these Nigerians, we couldn't have treated them this way,” she fumed.
She also mentioned the toll the incident took on her, stating that she missed four important appointments due to the disruption.
“I had a lot to do, I had a packed schedule. I missed a movie set, a feature film by a colleague, an awards night I was nominated for, and my movie premiere. It turned into an extremely bad experience.”
Gloria criticised the unequal treatment that Ghanaians receive compared to their Nigerian counterparts.
“Whenever Nigerians are invited to Ghana for projects, they get the best of everything, yet it’s not reciprocated when it comes to Ghanaians. We go out of our way to please them, but they don’t return the favour,” she concluded.
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