We don't chop popularity- Edziban

TV presenter and actor, Kwame Djokoto,says given the opportunity, he would ensure that the Food and Drugs Board’s ban on celebrities advertising alcoholic beverages would be reviewed.

‘’The Food and Drugs Board says I am a celebrity and that a celebrity has influence on kids and when I do adverts on alcohol, I will influence kids to take alcohol. I think we need to look at it again. If I have the opportunity, I think I would want us to look into that. Every advert has got the caution aspect for kids’’

 He questioned who and what defines a celebrity. ‘’ The fact of the matter is, how do we determine who a celebrity is? I can be nobody but through adverts, i can become popular because i think they want to  say that  if you’re popular, you’re a celebrity. So, i can just do an advert for the first time and become popular,does it make a celebrity? I don’t understand what we use to define who a celebrity is’’

He cited popular actor, Agya Koo who has been off the screen for a while but would be prevented from advertising an alcoholic beverage because of his ‘popularity’.  ‘’ Let’s take Agya Koo, for instance. The producers don’t want to use him again because people complain he is too much on their screens.  He’s not being used again, though he is popular. He would get an advert, but he would not be allowed to do such adverts, meanwhile, we don’t chop popularity. The adverts put something in our pockets.

I have a problem television production in Ghana.   I can’t go into every home and tell the children who love me that they shouldn’t drink with. Meanwhile, you’re no longer working. No producer is calling you anymore to act and you’re no more on the screen. We don’t chop popularity,we need the money from adverts’’

The Efiewura and Edziban actor also confirmed to Graphic Showbiz that he is contesting as Member of Parliament for the Tarkwa –Nsuaem Constituency and says he would still be acting even when he wins the elections and becomes a member of parliament.

‘’Yes, I’m contesting for the Tarkwa- Nsuaem constituency.I would be acting but I would consider the roles and my time because when your position changes, you have to also uplift yourself’’

The advertiser was confident that he would win the elections because he has been helping his constituents for a long time even though he is no politician. ‘’ They always tell me, ‘ Kwame, go and tell them for us because you are from Accra. Tell them to come and do our roads for us’. Amazingly, when I go and see the authorities, the issue is quickly resolved.

So, they just came to tell me to contest for them to make my help official because I have been leading these people for years through my being a school organiser.  They always see me as a helper though I’m only an actor. I just told myself, I’m a national icon, so why don’t I make it official by contesting to further help my people?’’

He was grateful to his fans for their support all these years and assured them that he would not be leaving the screens entirely. He wants his fans to address him with his new catch phrase, Our MP, Our Friend’