Kumawood actress, Portia Asare
Kumawood actress, Portia Asare, has recounted an incident where she was dropped from a role because she wasn’t fluent in English.
In a video shared on Instagram on March 5, 2025, Portia Asare recalled how a Nollywood actress pressured a movie producer to drop her from set because of that ‘shortfall’.
Portia who refused to disclose the identity of the actress, further explained how she was negatively affected by that particular incident.
She made these statements while bitterly lamenting how Kumawood actors are often stigmatised and treated unfairly due to claims that they are uneducated.
“They have branded those of us in Kumawood like we didn’t get a good education… I remember one of the actresses in Nollywood told a producer she couldn’t act with me because I struggled to speak English. The producer came to inform me what he had been told. Meanwhile, the same actress didn’t go to school because she had no classmates in this country. That person didn’t even attend senior high or University so I was hurt when I heard the news,” she said.
Recounting her journey, Portia Asare said she had a rough start in life.
She explained how she fought against all odds, urging parents not to solely depend on the government for help.
“I have two children, a boy, and a girl…The last time I was telling someone I had done menial jobs including weeding farms, in the past, that person didn’t believe me. My grandmother used to take us to the farm and when it was time to eat, they would put the food on leaves which we would eat together. But you know as you are growing sometimes life becomes easier for you.
“All I am saying is that we should take care of our children. We shouldn’t wait to let our children beg on the streets and we shouldn’t also wait on the government for help,” she added.
Watch the video below:
Meanwhile, watch this Ghana Month special edition of People and Places as we hear the story of how the head of Kwame Nkrumah’s bronze statue was returned after 43 years, below:
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