For the past weeks or so since I joined GhanaCelebrities.Com as a contributor, I have been asking myself over and over again if we really have celebrities here in Ghana or rather let me put it this way, if we have real celebrities in Ghana.
Now, let me explicate my point here before I get the hit. There have always been this school of thought that; to every real thing there is also a fake which is true in every sense of the word.
This brings me to the case of whether we have real celebrities in Ghana. I have always believed that the word celebrity like other words such as ‘gargantuan’ and ‘unprecedented’ has been hackneyed by Ghanaians.
So many people including some supposed “celebrities” are mystified by this word and what it stands for. Don’t get me wrong I am not in any way saying there are no real celebrities in Ghana but it seems the wannabes/fake/desperados are rather parading themselves as celebrities.
The true mission of my piece is to help tell the real deals from the fakes and also give people the true meaning and sense of who a celebrity is. At this point, let me tell you what a celebrity is widely defined as;
A celebrity is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media. The term is synonymous with wealth (commonly denoted as a person with fame and fortune), implied with great popular appeal, prominence in a particular field, and is easily recognized by the general public.
Various careers within the fields of sports and entertainment are commonly associated with celebrity status. These fields have produced prominent figures within these two industries. That makes sports figures like Tiger Woods, Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan, super “uber” models like Gisele Bündchen, Tyra Banks, TV personalities like Oprah Winfrey, Larry King, artistes like Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Drake, Chris Brown, actors like Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Jessica Alba, authors like Stephanie Meyer and J.K Rowling, Talk show hosts like Ellen Degeneres, Jay Leno and many others celebrities.
If you have realized I have touched almost all the various careers in the sporting and entertainment world (which gives us a broad spectrum of celebrities in these fields of endeavor).
Let me put this across, the tag celebrity does not come cheap as some people may think. Celebrities are not just individuals but brands who sell themselves as such. This status comes with its own responsibilities and privileges and I guess this is where many people fall short of.
Now, let’s try to break that definition down and see if Ghanaians in the field of sports and entertainment have these attributes. For starters, I would say few and I say “few” with so much stress and convictions, few celebrities have a public hold or influence on the Ghanaian people. I guess, this is partly because these privileged few have been able to publicize themselves very well and have caught the attention of the media.
Several others do not have this public hold? So do we call this split group of people in these fields “celebrities” or not?
Let me play the devil’s advocate here, the question I asked is, what stops these people from publicizing themselves like their colleagues? Are they are too stingy or not popular enough to get that needed publicity they so seek? Or do they not care at all? I guess, these questions can best be answered by them.
The next point I want to raise is the issue of wealth. Now, if this word celebrity is synonymous with wealth then I guess so many of these Ghanaian celebrities fall short of it (well, maybe not sports personalities like Michael Essien, Asamoah Gyan and the likes). I say this because I do not see any Ghanaian celebrity’s name on the list of richest men or women in Ghana or the Forbes Richest men and women in Africa.
So what do we say for these celebrities who don’t make the list? Do we call them celebrities or not? I would not lay the blame at the doorstep of these people since the industry they find themselves in does not remunerate them well.
Then again there is the issue of recognition by the general public. Recognition is a very key feature in being tagged a celebrity and like I said it is only the privileged few that get initiated into this hall of fame.
It is also believed that for one to join this elite group of people he/she will have to pay his or her dues in society.
A friend of mine once said for one to be considered as a celebrity he/she will have to be celebrated. The assertion does have an accurate undertone to it. But have Ghanaian celebrities paid their dues? Have they done enough to be celebrated?
I guess these few points speak for themselves, so the next time you want to tell the real deals from the fakes just remember what makes a person a celebrity and I am sure you will be able to identify the chaff from the seeds.
We all know that these people are no celebs and why is this girls picture on front page again atleast put a picture with all of them its not only about this banku belly thing whoever wrote this thumps up but dont compare a real celeb with these local ones and GC how come you never get news about the once that makes twi movies arent they celebs as well cause they seem to be doing much better than……
@Dr Miyagi, thanks, thank you very much appreciating a good work.
@GC Staff,your welcome
@Dr Miyagi,Eishh mr. always on point lol you never dissapoint lol kraa hahahaha GC we need lol more news on everyone lol lets say lol today should be Yvonne nelson, next day okoro, agyaa koo, kyeiwaa, next juliet lol Eddie nartey, etc for us to lol rate lol come on is a damn Gossip blog we want to have fun entertain us plsss
Lol its about time they do some rotation@nana ama,
@nana ama, We heard you, we will consider your proposition, thank you.
@GC Staff, you welcome please check the link
http://www.bunibuni.com/all-category/entertaiment/558-is-yvonne-nelson-dating-iyanya#
@nana ama, what exactly is there, please let me in on the gist. If it is Yvonne Nelson and Iyanya supposed dating story then it is old news. thanks anyway.
@nana ama, heard story is mere speculation.
@GC Staff, pleeeeeeaase and pleeeaaase again,take jackie’s photgo off there,why does she look like she used blended charcoal for make up tho??
@Dr Miyagi, LMAO miyagi i was saying the same daaamn thing…why da hell they got njackie’s face up there??/
@honey,awww c’mon what did Miss Jackie do to you.
@GC Staff, nothing!! im not a fan,especially not of that photo…i dont have to know her personally to feel anyhow about her,she’s in the public eyes,she can deal with that.
WELL IM NOT HERE TO LOVE OR CUDDLE ANYONE ,I OPENLY DISAGREE WIT U CHRIS,NOT ALL DA US CELEBS COME OUT IN OR ON DA LIST OF WEALTHY WOMEN,WE MYT NOT LIKE IT BUT KIM K WAS A CELEB DA MOMENT HER PORN VIDEO WAS OUT CZ SHE WAS SEEN ON DA MEDIA N TV COUNTLESS TYMZ BUT USED TO JUST BE A NORMAL AVERAGE CARLIFONIA SALES GURL IN HER MOMS STORE,NOT TO TALK OF VIDEO VIXENS LIKE AMBER ROSE ND DA CANDY GURLS N NATHALIE DA LIST GOES ON,DEY WER EXPOSED N PLE LIKE IT OR NOT WATCH DEM N IT DOESNT MEAN DA HAD DA MEANS,I DONT APRECIATE DA BEHAVIORS OF CERTAIN MOVIE STARS BUT I WUD SAY YES DEY ARE CELEBRITIES,WE NID TO LOVE OUR OWN N SUPPORT DEM NO MATA WHAT,IF ITS TYM FOR FILA YES WE CAN ALL PLAY AROUND,BUT IN WHT LITTLE WAY DEY HV CONTRIBUTED ALOT TO DA MOVIE INDUSTRY CZ PLE BUY MOVIES OR WATCH GHANAIN MOVIES BECAUSE OF CERTAIN PLE OOR THEIR FAVORITE ACTRESSES,DEY MYT NOT BE TOO POPULAR BUT DEY ARE CZ DA WHOLE OF AFRICA KNOWS DEM AND DEY ARE REGCOGNISED DATS WHY THEY PICK AWARDS SO PLIZ DROP DAT UR SO CALL I DONT THINK DEY ARE DEY R COMPARED TO MOST PLE IN AFRICA GIVE DEM CREDIT WOUT ENTERTAINMENT PRETTY GURLS N GUYS NO ONE WD KNOW GHANA CZ FOOTBALL JUST GOT BETTER WIT TYM NOT UP TO 2YRS BUT BFR SOCCER BECAME SOCCER NOW DEY WER MOVIES N DIS SAME FACES HV DONE A GREAT LOT IF U ,DONT C DEM DAT WAY SOUTH AFRICA DOES,GAMBIS ,UK EVERY BODY DOES,N FOR UR INFO BRAD N DEY REST WER CELEBS AS SOON AS DEY SHOT DEIR COMMERCIALS AS BABIES OR KIDS IT DEPENDS ON THE PUBLICITY U GIV URSELF N HOW U PACKAGE URSELF U NOT IN THEIR ACCOUNT ,BUT DEY GOT MONY DEY DO WHETHER ITS FROM MOVIES OR PANTIES DEY CELEBS,SO YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA DEY R FUCKEN CELEBS,BT DAT DOESNT MEAN I WD STOP GIVIN FILAS ,NAIJA SUPPORTS DEIR OWN Y CANT WE
Hmmmmmmmm seriously who are you and where are u based@DA SOURCE,
@Dr. Miyagi, was about to ask the same thing cos dude/lady is very well informed. i own a blog, will befriend you so i can get more info. u’re invited to my house if you live in england?
i mean will befriend da source to give me more info
Lol, holla at me with your website let me check it out [email protected]@nat,
@DA SOURCE, No one is attacking any star here. If you have noticed i am trying to help people tell the true celebrities from the desperadoes. And let me try and help you understand something, Kim K and Amber Rose did not become celebrities merely because of their sex tapes. Ask yourself this if Kim K and Amber Rose were nobodies would you have cared about them. There are several people(nobodies) with sex tapes on the net do you even bother about those people. So there, these people were already in the limelight before the sex tapes. Kim K was already doing her reality show before the sex tapes came out. Remember Amber had the tag ” Celeb girlfriend” and she used it to her advantage to become the person she is today. Today, as it stands they are two of the most happiest people in the world because they don’t have work again in their lives because of the accumulated bank account they have.
@DA SOURCE, please read the article well before you start bashing anyone.
I HAVE READ AND TRUST ME IM NOT BASHING NO ONE WE JUST TALKIN N B RINGIN OUT TRUTH ,I STILLL STAND SHE WAS NO ONE KIM K WASNT A REALITY TV STAR BFR SHE HAD DA SEX TAPE OUT W RAY J ,BRANDYS YOUNGER BROTHER,SHE WAS A STYLIST HANGIN OUT W PARIS HILTON N NICOLE AT DAT TYM,N FREQUENTED DA CALLY TOP CLUBS SHE WASNT FAMOUS DAT TAPE HELP HER ITS LIKE WHO HVIN A SEX TAPE W ETO FILS,OR WHO A WELL KNOWN FACE IN AFRICA N IT CMES OUT WHO WDNT WANA KNOW ME,N IF IM SEXY N PRETTY IT EXPOSED HER N HER FMLY ,SHE WAS JUST AN AVERAGE SALES GURL MA DEAR,EITHER WAYS IT HAPENS EVERYWER ,DEY ALL HAD TO PUT IN EXTRA MILES TO LIVE UP TO THEIR APPEARANCE ON TV DATS Y SHE DA NO ONE GROUPIE,ALL HER EXES WER ATHLETE THANK GOD KANYE ISNT ,CAPICHE
@DA SOURCE, smh
@DA SOURCE, You are giving the wrong info about KimmyK, let me school you a lil bit, Kim’s father the late Robert Kardashian was one of the defense lawyers for OJ Simpson, he was a successful lawyer so your notion that shes was a nobody is very wrong the girl was born with a silver spoon in her mouth else she woudnt be hanging with girls like paris hilton nicole richie and others whose parents are are also rich, Now the sex tape made her famous and even more richer cos the girl and her mom used this opportunity to make something out of a bad situation and dont forget before the tape she was a stylist for people like serena williams brandy and co she also owned DASH stores with her sisters khloe kourtney, so its not like the girl was sitting on her ass and got famous off the tape. And i dont know where you got shes a groupie cos she dates athletes, the girl was in a serious relationship with reggie bush whose an athlete for yrs, now a groupie is one who ffs athletes musicians around and sleeps with them, shes worked her ass off to build the empire she has now to the point were forbes list estimated she made about $18mil last yr, so come again with whatever point you are trying make.