Your Double Standards Stink - Manasseh Azure Tells Christian Amanpour

Ghana's journalist Manasseh Azure in his latest writeup has commented on the Moesha-CNN interview which has generated lots of debate on social media.

CNN's Christiane Amanpour in her response to the outburst expressed her disappointment at how the press and social media users 'lashed' the Cocoa Brown actress.

However, responding to Amanpour, Mr. Azure told the host of 'Love and sex around the world' that her double standards stink.

He used the opportunity to assure Amanpour that there is freedom of speech in Ghana.

Read his full letter below=

Dear Christiane Amanpour,

I have read your article in defence of Moesha Boduong, one of the people you interviewed in Ghana as part of your documentary on love and sex around the world. Your article is addressed to Ghanaians, especially the media.

You expressed your outrage at the outcome of the said interview, the condemnation Moesha has received following the publication of excerpts of your series. You wrote:

“As a woman and a journalist, I’m hurt and angry to see such an innocent woman condemned by the press and by many people on social media in this way. It’s to the point that Moesha is not sure she can return to Ghana safely. I am so surprised to see this happening in Accra, a city that has rightly got so much attention recently for being one of the most economically and politically successful capitals in Africa. Indeed I was heartened while I was in Accra, listening to a speech by the President himself, defending the rights of the free press to report fully, accurately and fairly…”

First of all, I want to assure you that there is freedom of speech in Ghana. And what the president said is a true reflection of the reality. You can trust the President when he talks about freedom of speech. He repealed the Criminal Libel Law when he was the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice. And he appears committed to passing the Right to Information Law before he ends his term as President of Ghana. So he was not lying in that speech you heard.

Ghana constantly ranks higher than the United States in the annual Press Freedom Index compiled by Reporters Without Borders. In 2017, for instance, Ghana ranked 26th while the United States ranked 43rd. So there is free expression in Ghana.

Besides, don’t make this a woman thing. Like the Archbishop rightly told you, women are free here. There is no state-sponsored discrimination against women. Taboos that inhibit the development of women are fought and criminalized by the state. Men who say stupid things about women often get unanimous condemnation from both men and women.

Women in Ghana seem to have more unfettered freedom of expression than men these days. Men have to be extremely politically correct in the wake of the feminist movements. Women get away with comments that would get men into trouble.

We had our Music Awards last weekend. While Samini, one of the best musicians in Ghana, performed, a radio and TV show host tweeted that anytime she saw the energy Samini exuded on stage, she imagined him in bed.