Clemento Suarez spoken about the Year of Return and his views are in tandem with Shatta Wale’s.
The Year of Return, Ghana 2019 campaign is targeted at uniting Africans in the diaspora with those in the continent to mark 400 years since the first enslaved African arrived in Jamestown, Virginia.
Since the president, Nana Akufo-Addo declared and launched the campaign in September last year, the country has received many celebrities who came visiting Ghana and Africa for the first time.
Through Christmas to this year, a whole entourage of Hollywood stars including Boris Kodjoe, Rosario Dawson, Diggy Simmons, Anthony Anderson, Jidenna, Michael Jai White, Nicole Ari Parker, Idris Elba, Steve Harvey, Cardi B and many others visited Ghana.
However, aside from they visiting the president and Cape Coast castle and doing a few interviews here and there, people are complaining they are not feeling the impact of their visit. One of such people is Dancehall act, Shatta Wale who thinks the government has failed the citizens and that what Ghanaians need is education and a country that looks more like she is celebrating something of importance.
“We failed to educate the country about this year of return so I don’t see anything going on about this year of return because I feel the government has failed to educate the peace.
“Because when there’s a celebration in a particular country, it’s everywhere you go to hotels people are talking about it, it’s on the streets, people are making money out of it but Ghana is still same as it was. And we find everybody going about their normal routines, you don’t see buses branded with the year of return inscription, you don’t see banners in town. It’s just a few people in the country who are benefiting from this year of return thing so I think the next time we should really educate the people because it’s the people that can make money out of it,” he said.
“And when the people make money like that the government will be relaxed but now there’s pressure in the system to the extent that people are not even understanding what year of return means. All we see is people coming to visit the president. These people are supposed to visit the people in the Zongo, the mafias, mallams in the ghettos but we’re not getting that. All the people that come to Ghana go to the president and then to Cape Coast Castle. We don’t understand it so I believe next time we need to enlighten people “ Shatta Wale told UTV in an interview.
Speaking to the matter on Ghanaweekend TV, Clemento Suarez said he agrees with Shatta Wale and that the campaign has not benefited the people in the country.
“A lot of people have added their voices to it, I think that recently Shatta Wale also said something about it, yeah I agree with him.
“This year of return hasn’t really benefited the people. It only benefited the album of the presidency and the ministers. New pictures, Jet Li will be in Ghana, you’ll take pictures with him” he said.
“Me that I know my father is a hero, I know bodyguard from Beijing, you won’t let me have a feel of him. Even if I don’t shake hands with him, there should be a program where he’ll talk to some of us like actors or something”
Aside from not feeling the impact, he believes it could have an impact on the economy.
“Steve Harvey came around. Some of us couldn’t get the opportunity to even be two hundred meters away from him for me to see him”
“All those people coming down they only come to the presidency and then they go so we’re not really feeling the vibe. We know probably the economy will go up a bit because they’re bringing in money, they’re going to tourist sites and all that but we’re not feeling it”
He also said he does not know a single Year of Return event coming on and that it might probably be held in the Jubilee House if there is such an event.
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By: Hajia Lamy Gates |ghanaweekend.com
