Starring: Yvonne Okoro, Blossom Chukwujekwu, Nkem Owoh, Kofi Adjorlolo, IK Ogbonna

Synopsis:
A newly married woman brings her Nigerian husband home to meet her parents but they are met with discord due to her father’s animosity toward Nigerians.

Review:
Ama and Chuks were a match made in heaven until they met hell in her parent’s home. Ama (Yvonne Okoro) introduced Chuks (Blossom Chukwujekwu) to her family but they were all appalled because he was Nigerian. Feeling out of place after being threatened by her father, Chuks hoped his own father could help diffuse the matter. 

Chuks’ father arrived in Ghana with two wives and a load of bags. They brought their tribal ways into a modern home which was off-putting for the upscale Ghanians. The two families set out to cope with the other but the challenge was getting Ama’s father to accept her newly acquired family.

Let’s Talk. The title “Ghana Must Go” refers to the 1983 deportation of Ghanians from Nigeria. The president at the time enacted a law that required undocumented residents to return to their native countries. It affected a huge number of Ghanians and was said to be a revenge tactic because Ghana expelled Nigerians from their country about a decade or so earlier.

The dismissal of Ghanians from Nigeria was still an open wound for Ama’s father, played by Kofi Adjorlolo. He resented Nigerians and his disdain was the core of the story. Eventually the feud was hashed out, cueing a happy ending, but not everything was hunky-dory.

For one thing, if I didn’t know better, I would think that Nigeria was an underdeveloped country based on the Nigerian family. Because African movies are distributed all over the world, filmmakers should be mindful of misrepresentations. This most likely was unintentional and for story purposes, Chuks’ family was presented as humorously unpolished Nigerian people.

There’s a scene where Ama made dinner and everyone suddenly had an upset stomach. Of course, this was meant to be funny but it was unrealistic. Even the most potent laxative wouldn’t have worked that quickly. And then we had the inserted fart noises and that’s how I knew Frank Raja Arase was directing.

Also, over the top was that a Nigerian woman would attempt to urinate on the front lawn. Come on now. You see, there’s funny and then there’s silly. Some of the movie was indeed hilarious but there were scenes that were just unbelievable. It was difficult to bare in mind that this was a comedy when some things were dissuading.

Basically this was the typical “my parents disapprove of my spouse” movie with a little history thrown in. The filmmakers attempted to sell us culture shock but it’s not like homegirl brought home a Korean. Ghana and Nigeria are both African countries. There are more similarities between the two than differences.

But the party really started when Nkem Owoh appeared at the airport with his wives and the Ghana Must Go bags. His purpose was to remedy the animosity but he unwittingly fueled the fire. Funny!

Performances were the highlight. Yvonne Okoro and Blossom gave respectable renditions of their characters and they were a compatible couple. Nkem Owoh brought his distinctive characteristics to the table and he paired well with Kofi Adjorlolo as the two sparred their way to common ground.

Amongst the antipathy, Nigeria got it’s due when they were recognized for providing employment to Ghanians while the female banter boosted the image of Nigerian men.

As for technical issues, audio and video were up to snuff. Subtitles were provided that had spelling errors and they had the nerve to misspell Nkem Owoh’s name in the opening credits! It was spelled “Imkem Owoh.” How could they?? He’s a star!

At the end of the day, even with its preowned storyline, “Ghana Must Go” offered insight into the rift between Ghana and Nigeria. It took historical events and gave it a comedic twist which had a few flaws but it was ultimately fun.

Would you like to be instantly discarded simply because of where you were born? This movie was a great reminder to treat others the way you would like to be treated. RECOMMEND