Renowned Ghanaian actor, Adjetey Anang, has addressed the criticism and negative feedback he has received since the release of his memoir, “Adjetey Anang; A Story of Faith, Imperfection, and Resilience.” In a recent interview, Anang expressed his disappointment with the prevailing negativity and highlighted the irony of Africans criticizing the West for perpetuating negative stereotypes while engaging in similar behavior themselves.
Anang, celebrated for his remarkable achievements in the film and entertainment industry, released his memoir on July 8, 2023, as part of his 50th birthday celebration. However, instead of receiving widespread praise, he found himself subjected to criticism and misinterpretation of his words.
“It was expected, I knew that people will go the way they were going. I find it as such an irony because I’ve heard so many people criticize the West for painting Africa in all those negativity and now we are doing a bit worse,” Anang shared during the interview.
He emphasized the importance of focusing on the positives and drawing lessons from these experiences, rather than sensationalizing and perpetuating negativity. Anang urged individuals to look beyond sensationalized headlines and take the time to read and analyze the content for themselves.
“So we have no right to condemn them or judge them if we are doing that to ourselves because our focus is mainly sensationalizing whatever we put out there and negating what without looking at the positives that would happen in our lives,” he added.
The actor stressed that continuously harping on negative aspects only serves to perpetuate them further. He encouraged people to seek out the lessons to be learned from such situations rather than fixating on the negatives.
“If you keep on harping on the negatives, what do you expect, it’ll be repeated, but what are the lessons to learn out of these things,” Anang advised.
Anang also expressed his frustration with the tendency of Ghanaians to latch onto one word or phrase without fully understanding the context. He cited examples where his words in the memoir had been misconstrued, leading to misinterpretations and subsequent negative conversations.
“People don’t read, so somebody says a word and people take it up, and that’s a whole new conversation without analyzing the book for themselves. We are just a negative kind of people most of the time, and it’s just unfortunate,” he lamented.
In conclusion, Anang called for a shift in focus towards positivity and understanding, urging individuals to approach his memoir with an open mind and to form their own opinions based on the actual content rather than sensationalized headlines.
Despite the backlash, Adjetey Anang remains steadfast in his belief that his memoir contains valuable lessons and personal experiences worth sharing, and he hopes that readers will engage with the book in a more thoughtful and nuanced manner.