According to her, this was due to mistreatment by the organisers of the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA).
The 2024 edition of the awards ceremony was held in Lagos, Nigeria, where several Ghanaian actors, including Jackie Appiah, who received nominations in leading categories, were invited to attend.
Gloria Sarfo, also invited to grace the event, described what was meant to be an all-expenses-paid trip as one of her worst experiences.
Taking to social media, the Ghanaian actress criticised the organisers for the unpleasant ordeal, revealing that she and her colleagues, including veteran actors, were shocked to find their flight tickets invalid at the airport. She explained they were left waiting for hours without any communication from the organisers, despite reaching out.
“This was a total embarrassment. We had to tell the other Ghanaian actors on their way to the airport to turn back,” she lamented. “You can’t invite me on an all-expenses-paid trip and leave me stranded at the airport. The embarrassment was unbearable! We stood there for hours, and although there were media personnel around, they were also caught in the same situation, so I’m sure they didn’t capture the chaos.”
Gloria stated that prominent filmmakers, including Abdul Salam Mumuni, Akorfa Edjeani Aseidu, and Julia Apea, were also affected. “The likes of Abdul Salam Mumuni, Akorfa Edjeani Aseidu, Julia Apea, our big filmmakers were all stranded. These are filmmakers who even started filmmaking before most of these Nigerians did.”
She continued, “We did not sleep, we woke up at dawn to get to the airport only to be stranded like this. We had to let those on their way return home so they don’t face this embarrassment. If it were these Nigerians, we couldn’t have treated them this way,” she fumed.
She further mentioned the toll the incident took on her, stating that she missed four important appointments due to the disruption. “I had a lot to do, I had a packed schedule. I missed a movie set, a feature film by a colleague, an awards night I was nominated for, and my movie premiere. It turned into an extremely bad experience.”
Gloria also criticised the unequal treatment Ghanaians receive compared to their Nigerian counterparts.