BEAUTY WITH BRAINS: MEET THE AFFABLE HON. DZIFA GOMASHIE

She is the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts. She is a veteran actress and has a great personality, probably the only actress who had MPhil in her field. She was voted by Mr. Kwasi Gyan-Apenteng as “His Person for the Year 2014” because of her support for the arts in Ghana. She was the CEO of Mama’s Kitchen where she served quality foods. She is a queen mother in charge of protocol in the Aflao Traditional Area. She a good writer and poetess. She is beautiful, African, motherly and fashionable. She is probably the only Deputy Minister and star who does has no house-help and does all her chores before tackling her many tasks. Our post guest is none other than the affable Hon. Abla Dzifa Gomashie.

AMOAFOWAA: Talking about women who are accomplished, what are the ingredients for accomplished women?

DZIFA: Fear of God. Discovering who you are is very key and anyone is lucky if he or she gets that in an early age, it makes charting your path easier. It also leads you to people with like minds so you get apprenticeship early.  You have people to fall back on. Everybody needs a social circle beyond his/her family or peers, people who have achieved. Developing self, I asked myself; if I am a good actress, what will make me different from others? I decided to get an academic qualification to set me apart.

AMOAFOWAA: Who can gain your respect?

DZIFA: I honestly don’t know, I am open minded enough to accommodate and respect people who stay true to themselves and live by good norms.

 

AMOAFOWAA: Can women have it all?

DZIFA:  Yes, but who wants it all? You should have some challenges in life to keep you going. Something has to challenge you at every stage in your life to motivate you to achieve greater things.

AMOAFOWAA: Between your parents, who did you revere most?

DZIFA: I revered them equally, they each have/had (considering my mother is no more) their own strength but they complemented each other. I know for sure that my mother did well by choosing my father.

AMOAFOWAA: Do you believe that some vocations are gender based?

DZIFA: Well, I’m socialized to think that there are gender roles but I know it is not static because it is changing, now there are men braiding hair in Ghana, men the world over cooking, what do we call them? Chefs! etc. So it is gradually changing.

AMOAFOWAA: Who did you grow up listening in musical realm?

DZIFA: Bob Nesta Marley, (Starts singing) “Who Jah bless, no one cares”

AMOAFOWAA: Who did you grow up reading?

DZIFA: Mills and Boons, James Hardi Chaise, Ama Atta Aidoo, Efua Sutherland, Ayi Kwei Ama, Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe and others.

AMOAFOWAA: Explicit sex scenes in many movies and videos, are they really good for business?

DZIFA: That is sick but then again sex sells, they say. If I was the only buyer, they won’t get sales though.

AMOAFOWAA: Did you ever play sex scenes in any movie?

DZIFA: No; let somebody prove me wrong. In the days when I was acting, it was tasteful, the issue of romance and sex were tastefully played out so it was not nauseating nor in your face. I remember a scene in which Adjetey Annan was to share some good news with me, as his partner, all he did was put his head on my chest and all I had to do was hold his head to my bosom. That was all and the message was clear.

AMOAFOWAA: Ideally, what would you think was the focus of the movie industry or the entertainment industry when you started?

DZIFA: We sought to tell our stories with very little influence from outside, so it reflected in our choice of costumes, language, culture etc. We tried to stay true to who we are. We were taught patriotism and Africanism.

AMOAFOWAA: Would you rather do Azonto or Agbadza?

DZIFA: I am an Aflao girl so agbadza first but I also love azonto. I think as a creative product, azonto is saleable.

AMOAFOWAA: If you were a judge presiding over the case of a man who has is said to have raped 10 girls, what will be your judgment?

DZIFA: Even one will call for castration. Why will I wait until they reach 10?

AMOAFOWAA: What is your Religion?

DZIFA: I am a catholic and will die a catholic. It’s all in your heart, it doesn’t matter what the religion is or how you worship, what is important is doing the right things your heart and conscience tell you.

AMOAFOWAA: What do you think of pastors who have their faces on billboards?

DZIFA: It’s commercialization of their services, period! What do we use billboards for? To sell products! So if it is not the word of God on the billboard but your face, then you are selling yourself and not God.

AMOAFOWAA: What do you think about the issue of women wanting concession where elections are concerned?

DZIFA: I think it is a good thing because we are a very patriarchal society and so if we want to include more women, then we have to have a concession. It is going to encourage more women to participate.

AMOAFOWAA: Won’t that mean that you want the country to compromise competency?

DZIFA: We are not saying that compromise competency but we are saying that when we bring the competent women on board, pick them. May I ask, “Are all the men competent?”

AMOAFOWAA: In this era where some universities are recording more women in admission compared to men, and men are crying foul, is it still fair to pursue this concession?

DZIFA: How many of the women who are educated are encouraged to pursue their dreams? The world will be better if all women go to school. So the fact that there is an increase in women schooling doesn’t mean that we have succeeded. We will only succeed if it yields results, pursing their dreams, living without intimidation, having a say in the running of the country etc.

AMOAFOWAA: What do you think about people who bleach?

DZIFA: I feel it Shows low self-esteem! How is it that you can think that changing what your colour is changes who you are? I find it embarrassing.

AMOAFOWAA: What do you think of the insults on political figures in the media?

DZIFA:  When you live in a country where the meaning of democracy is “Ka bi ma menka bi” (transliterated, say and let me say) and nothing more, what do you expect? In most countries whose democratic examples we are following, they have delayed transmissions, you can’t use swear words, even when you do, they punch it out. Here in Ghana, we don’t have that and so some hosts apologise for foul language but that others don’t. Ghanaians disrespect everybody without blinking. I have seen that from President Rawlings, Kuffuor, Mills to President Mahama. They don’t discriminate at all. What will they not do to small ones?

AMOAFOWAA: Your thoughts on presidents from Nkrumah to Mahama:

DZIFA: Dr. Kwame Nkrumah did his bit. Every president have done their bit. John Mahama, hihihihi, he is the best thing that happened to Ghana.

AMOAFOWAA: Life as a movie star and life as a politician, which is more difficult?

DZIFA: Life as a politician. The stakeholders are different, but my profession is very straight forward. You get a play, you accept to do it, the audience’s demography doesn’t matter but politics is very difficult.

AMOAFOWAA: Do you think the NDC will win the 2016 elections?

DZIFA: YES, YES and YES!

AMOAFOWAA: Why, why and why?

DZIFA: Why shouldn’t we win with a president and a team like this? With a president with such visions, a president who believes in Ghana! We will win.

AMOAFOWAA: Aren’t you bothered about SADA failure, “dumsor”, GYEEDA horrors and the many judgement debts?

DZIFA: It would be hypocritical to say that I don’t get worried hearing things like that. But I am also happy that these are matters being dealt with in our law courts.

AMOAFOWAA: Tell us about the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts.

DZIFA: It is the best thing any president has done for the sector. Tourism is about culture and Creative Arts. Tourism thrives on unique things in a particular community and in Ghana, our culture is what sets us apart from the rest of the world. So to put all in one ministry is the best thing that ever happened to us.

AMOAFOWAA: Which line of the National Anthem strengthens your patriotism?

DZIFA: God bless our homeland Ghana.

AMOAFOWAA: Please give us some general advice.

DZIFA: There are some things you get to choose in life, like a name, the school you attend, the man or woman you decide to marry but some things are divinely chosen for you. Your gender, your parents, your tribe, your country, these are divinely chosen for you. So to succeed in my thinking, you have to take the latter very, very, seriously, because those choices come with blessings and so if you go against them, you deny yourself those blessings.

AMOAFOWAA: Thank you very much for your precious time on amoafowaa.com.

DZIFA: You are welcome.

Her inspiration came in this form

THE LIGHTER

She lights the path in honesty

For her likes to follow in purity

She lights the hearts of wicks which sleep

To take up the brightening of corners

II

This Dzifa light

Which makes the Gomashies’ bright

Is strengthening mights

And trampling frights

Filling up the heights

 

III

She will be the highest kite

Looking after the straining lights

Because God sees through all nights

And always judges right

In all sites

Amoafowaa Sefa Cecilia © 2015