‘Question the pastors, not me!’

...Socrate Safo fires campaign with ‘Amen’

Socrate Safo -- Controversial

By James Harry Obeng

At a time most film-lovers are expecting a response to the chilling reports of sexual explicitly levelled against his latest movie ‘Amen,’ controversial filmmaker Socrate Safo has rather thrown aboard an intriguing campaign which seeks to urge the media to critically probe certain developments presently gaining roots in the church.

Prominent among these developments is the rate at which many Ghanaian pastors (or men-of-God) are increasing marrying celebrities, especially top gospel musicians, in recent times.

Much as Socrate says he does not begrudge pastors who settle for showbiz stars, he is nonetheless unconvinced with the modus operandi that some of them use to eventually land their celebrity-wives.

He, thus, expects the media and larger Ghanaian society to take active interest in the development, and begin to question how come it has now become “so fashionable for pastors to marry music star.”

In an exclusive interview with the Spectator Agoro on Monday, Socrate indicated that the incidence whereby some pastors in the country waited till their “wives” become music stars before marrying them, raises a lot of concerns that needed to be interrogated.

He suspected that there might be something more to the situation now, unlike in the past when pastors married wives (Asofo-maame) who were otherwise unknown before tying the knot.

“I want to know how these men-of-God manage to marry gospel musicians, when and how they meet, whether or not the ‘wives’ had their own boyfriends before meeting the pastors, and how come they always get them to marry?,” a very emotional Socrate questioned, adding: “Are you trying to tell me that all these ‘wives’ knew or were dating the pastors before becoming celebrities?”

Socrate blamed the entertainment media for increasingly becoming “lazy” over pertinent issues affecting society, but rather concentrated on recycling sensational and unfounded stories “that will not help our arts and entertainment industry to grow.

“It is about time we investigate and find out why it has become so and at the same time, educate the people and Christendom about how some of these pastors are manipulating the masses,” he said.

A cross-check by the Spectator Agoro revealed that indeed, a couple of celebrities – or gospel musicians – are married to pastors, though it could not be confirmed whether or not they were star at the time of their marriage.

They include: Diana Hopeson, Gifty Osei, Akosua Adjepong, Florence Obinim, Herty Borngreat, Ceccy Twum and Mavis (formerly of Mentor fame). Others, such as Obaapa Christy (formerly Christiana Love), Esther Smith and Agnes Opoku-Agyemang, were also once married to pastors.

...Amen – facts and lies

Socrate Safo also responded to matters arising out of the release of his latest movie, Amen, which some media reports have said contains sexually-explicit content. (NB: This reporter has watched the said movie, and says the film contains no such explicit content).    

“Frankly, I sometimes wonder what is wrong with some media-guys. I’ve done a new movie and even before they watch it, they write and say it is porn. Who has ever done porn in this country before?

“They write whatever they like and make people give me all sorts of unmerited names and descriptions, but I don’t care! It is God who’ll judge me, so I don’t mind what people call me – devil or Satan,” he said, describing the new movie as fulfilling the mission of Jesus Christ “that we should preach the truth at all time.”

The movie, he added, “reminds us that there’s something we should check out for about the activities of some pastors in the world today. That’s all!”

The Synopsis: Amen tells a story of a pastor who advises a church-member to leave his girlfriend (a film star) few months to their marriage, then turns around to woo the girl into marrying him (pastor). He then coax the girl – now his wife – into aborting a pregnancy belonging the ex-boyfriend.

Consequently, the wife is unable to conceive again, whereby the pastor now turns his attention onto their househelp in search for a baby, leading to a number of devastating consequences.  The film, copies of which are available at all respectable CD and DVD stores across the country, stars Baby Blanche, Fred Amugi, Roselyn Ngissah, George Berthou and Pages, among others.