Opinions of Friday, 25 March 2016

Columnist: GNA

The God factor in the Abraham Atta story

I noticed the name Abraham Atta trending on social media for some weeks but I did not bother to check what specifically it was about him, until GTV featured him in their entertainment news a week ago.

The news captured when Atta returned from the United States, where he received his award and his visit to the Vice President’s office later that day.

I then decided to read a little about him. I was able to go to his Facebook page and also saw few articles written about him in the Ghanaian media and my only conclusion was, “There is a God factor in this story.”

From what I read, Abraham Atta was playing football with some of his mates at school, when these “white people” came and spoke to them about an audition.

Somehow Atta was selected to feature in the film “Beast of No Nation” which was later to become an award winning one.

Atta also won the Marcello Mastroianni's Best Young Actor Award at the 72nd Venice International Film Festival.

He had an opportunity of exposure on a world platform and in Ghana many more opportunities awaits him.

Just last week, Ghana’s Tourism Minister, Mrs Elizabeth Ofosu Agyare, announced that the Ministry would go into discussions with Atta to know how best he could become Ghana’s tourism ambassador.

Now, I believe that movie producers would be willing and more than prepared to pay whatever amount to probably feature Atta in their Ghanaian and African movies.

Until his featuring in the movie, who knew Abraham Atta, not to talk about his parents, which movie producer would have readily accepted Atta as their movie icon?

After analysing all these factors and more, I concluded that “it could only be God.”

I mean the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It is only this God who decides to choose a “nobody” and turn him or her into a “somebody.”

Sometimes, as a people and as Christians, we tend to use all kinds of ways and means to get to where we want to be in life or the status we want to attain in life.

Let me dare say that Abraham Atta did not have to do anything extraordinary to be selected to play the role he played in the movie.

As a Christian, I only think that God chose him and so for every Christian reading this piece, I just want to say to you that wait for your turn.

The God factor does the trick.

Congratulations Abraham Atta!