Celebs

Why Rosaline Okoro Should Not And Would Not Win Miss Ghana 2012 + Yvonne Okoro Replies

Published on September 15, 2012

First of all, I must clear certain things which I envisage some individuals would dwell on to unfairly discredit and undermine the substance of this article.

I perfectly recognise and understand that this piece will be bigotry to the candidacy of Ms. Roseline Okoro as Miss Ghana 2012 contestant.

However, should the issues below be ignore and Roseline Okoro manages to win the National pageant, the many years of credibility, prestige, Ghanaian heritage, Association and Representation which is embedded in the Miss Ghana pageant will end.

Where do we place the balance of convenience then? Without any malice, I think it is only prudent that the below issues which can tear down the Miss Ghana pageant and erupt long confusion and dissatisfaction among Ghanaians be addressed to the detriment of Roseline Okoro’s right to participate in unprejudiced contest.

For those who intend to evoke the absurdity engulfed in the entrenched Ghana/Nigeria rivalry by saying that, I am mentioning the below because I somehow do not like Nigerians, you should know that, the parents of my girlfriend are Nigerians (though she was born in Britain and may prefer to be called a Black British). I want such people to know that I do not have any dislike for Nigerians and as such, this piece will only look at substantive issues, detached from any rivalry hogwash.

I do not have a problem with Roseline Okoro’s nationality as a Ghanaian. Since one of her parents is a Ghanaian, by law, she is a Ghanaian. Nationality/Citizenship can be acquired through Birth, Blood (descent) or Naturalization. This means that, by descent/blood, Roseline Okoro is a Ghanaian and SHOULD be able to participate in the Miss Ghana pageant.

However, depending on how an individual becomes a citizen of a country, there are some positions that he or she cannot/shouldn’t hold even though such a person by law is a citizen. For instance, in the United States, only a person who is a citizen by birth can become a President or Vice President. Even that, he/she must have lived in U.S.A for 14 years or more.

This therefore means that, there are differences in citizenship (lesser and true citizens) and I clearly see why. So even though Roseline Okoro is a citizen of Ghana ( lesser citizen because she acquired her citizenship by blood and may not have even lived in Ghana for considerable years), it would be preposterous for her to win a National pageant like Miss Ghana and become Ghana’s ambassador…

The Miss Ghana pageant I know had a prestigious culture and heritage accessory and all the winners have always been culturally strong. How can Okoro fully satisfy the cultural aspect of a Ghanaian Queen?

I hope I am not the only one who has seen the ridiculousness hidden beneath the name ‘Okoro’ as the winner of Miss Ghana 2012 and Ghana’s representative at the Miss World 2013 pageant.

If you are an innocent Ghanaian looking through various names of representatives to fetch who is representing Ghana at Miss World, I am certain you will think Ghana is not participating no matter how many times you would read pass the name Roseline Okoro.

I am not suggesting that, only those with typical Ghanaian names must be given National honours like the Miss Ghana Crown but when a particular name vividly points to another country, then it must be an issue of concern.

Looking at the past winners of the pageant from 1998 to 2010 (Efia Owusuaa Marfo, Mariam Sugru Bugri, Ewurafua Hawkson, Selasi Kwawu, Shaida Buari, Serena Naa Ashi Roye, Inna Patty, Lamisi Mbillah, Irene Dwomoh, Frances Takyi-Mensah, Mawusi Apea, Mimi Areme and Stephanie Karikari), their names have always given them away as from Ghana.

Even if the name does not clearly give the person away as a Ghanaian, it is not a big problem. It only becomes a problem if the prima facie indication you would derive from the name is that; the person is from another country. What would you say to Maame Afia Takyiwaa as Miss Nigeria 2012?

As to how much of a Ghanaian Roseline Okoro is, I had a brief chat with the PR of the Miss Ghana pageant this morning and he mentioned that, to his knowledge, Roseline speaks great Twi… (I asked if she speaks any Ghanaian language fluently).

Though I am impressed, I still think being a Miss Ghana Queen which bestows unto you a National ambassadorial role goes beyond merely speaking one of the various National languages. Such a person must be a Ghanaian in all aspects of life…Remember we have legal Ghanaians and true Ghanaians…

For me, Roseline Okoro as a legal Ghanaian has the right to participate in the pageant unless the rules of the pageant say otherwise. But if she wins, the true Ghanaians will erupt in anger to defend what is rightly theirs…It may sound absurd but National treasures must be protected…

I have a British passport (legally British) but still there are certain places I cannot go; only the true Brits can go…

Do I think the organizers of Miss Ghana 2012 have not spotted the bedlam, controversy and the vast hole that would be created should Roseline Okoro wins this year pageant? I know they would not make that mistake and that explains why I say, she will NEVER win!

I have been told that, Miss Roseline Okoro claims (has told friends) to be a dual citizen (Ghana/Nigeria). This is legally accepted but a dual citizen has limited rights in Ghana and therefore may fall under the ‘lesser citizen’ group.

If a holder of a dual citizenship cannot be higher in governance (cannot hold certain public offices) and cannot be voted for to even become an MP because they are seen as disloyal and infidel, then it is only reasonable that a dual citizen should not be allowed to become a Ghanaian ambassador-Miss Ghana Winner…

By Chris-Vincent Agyapong Febiri/ghanacelebrities.com

Yvonne Okoro replies…

A very emotional Yvonne Okoro has expressed her complete dismay with a recent publication that suggested that her younger sister, Rosaline Okoro doesn’t deserve to compete in the ongoing Miss Ghana beauty contest because she isn’t ‘Ghanaian’ enough. She described the article as divisive with xenophobic tendencies and lacking facts.

In a phone interview with the actress who recently won Best Pan African Actress at the Nigerian Entertainment Awards, a category for non-Nigerians, she clarified her nationality while addressing ‘frivolous’ issues raised in the said article. She said: “I realized that the writer didn’t do due diligence in finding out about the person he was writing about, that is my family. You don’t just get up and write an article about somebody’s nationality without knowing the person or at least enquiring from the person. It is a very sensitive matter because it not just about me or the Okoro family; it’s about people who live in Ghana, people who live in Africa and the rest of the world in the face of xenophobia.”

According to Yvonne, the author based his argument on the constitution of America without even regarding what the constitution of Ghana says on what constitutes Ghanaian citizenship. Here is an excerpt from the article posted on the internet: “I do not have a problem with Roseline Okoro’s nationality as a Ghanaian. Since one of her parents is a Ghanaian, by law, she is a Ghanaian. Nationality/Citizenship can be acquired through Birth, Blood (descent) or Naturalization. This means that, by descent/blood, Roseline Okoro is a Ghanaian and SHOULD be able to participate in the Miss Ghana pageant. However, depending on how an individual becomes a citizen of a country, there are some positions that he or she cannot/shouldn’t hold even though such a person by law is a citizen. For instance, in the United States, only a person who is a citizen by birth can become a President or Vice President. Even that, he/she must have lived in U.S.A for 14 years or more.”

Yvonne explained that right from the moment she started acting, people have been asking whether she was Nigerian or Ghanaian. “I always say that I am African and it doesn’t matter where I am from. The important thing is that, I am here and I am doing what I have to do. If I had won an award then it would be okay for same people to say Ghanaian actress, Yvonne Okoro has won an award. When my other sister suffered from a racial incident at a restaurant in Accra, they wrote asking how foreigners could come to Ghana and treat our own people in such a manner. So how come when my other sister stands for Miss Ghana they say due to the fact that she is a ‘lesser citizen’ or due to the fact that she doesn’t have a Ghanaian name, she isn’t Ghanaian enough?”

She cited Barack Obama being the President of America as an example of the fact that names not constitute nationality. She commented that even in Ghana, Jerry John Rawlings who has Scottish decent became President of the country, and honorable Hanna Tetteh-Kpodar who was born in Hungary has also held several important roles in Government.

She added: “But today my sister stands for Miss Ghana and she is chastised because our mother is Ghanaian and our father is Nigerian? Can you imagine how my father feels? He has been in this country for over 40 years he has companies in Ghana and so do I. Even my mother is feeling that after all these years we are still not accepted. And for all the other people going through similar situations, it’s not fair.”

The actress used her colleague Majid Michel who is half Lebanese and half Fanti as an example stating that when Majid wins awards he wins it for Ghana. She also stated that Jackie Appiah was born in Canada and she still uses a Canadian passport. She therefore wondered if the simple fact that Jackie uses a Ghanaian surname makes her more Ghanaian.

“We have Ghanaian passports. We have lived all our lives in Ghana, we were born here. Roseline was born at the Police Hospital and I was born at the Ridge Hospital. We speak Twi and we are Fantis. So what is the problem? It was unfair for the writer to speak in the voice of Ghanaians by saying ‘the true Ghanaians will erupt in anger to defend what is rightly theirs’ if Roseline wins Miss Ghana. Who appointed him the voice of Ghana? It is such people that divide Ghanaians, it’s wrong to do that!”

She expressed contentment in the fact that majority of the people who commented on the post when it was published online showed their intelligence on the matter and did not allow the writer to sway them negatively. “It is not fair for someone to sit behind his computer, and use his website to defame people and the reputation of their families. I would say Ghanaians should choose the one who deserves to win the Miss Ghana crown. If it’s not my sister and it’s someone else then it’s all well and good. I know what my sister has; she is a born leader and that’s why I don’t even want to interfere in her affairs. Nobody should try to sabotage the competition.”

By ameyawdebrah-com

Source: Chris-Vincent Agyapong Febiri/ghanacelebrities.com/ameyawdebrah-com