Martha Ankomah on colourism in Ghana’s film industry: 'The pressure to bleach was too much'

Ghanaian actress Martha Ankomah has opened up about colourism in the local movie industry, revealing that dark-skinned actors often faced discrimination and pressure to bleach their skin in order to secure roles.

Speaking at the PCH Hangouts 2025 Edition at ICGC New Wine Temple, East Legon, Ankomah recounted a moment when a producer criticised her skin tone, telling her: "Martha, you are too black… the lights we use in acting, when we put the light on you, you won’t shine."

According to the actress, such industry biases led many of her colleagues to lighten their skin to fit the perceived standard of beauty. "Because of that pressure, most of my colleagues started bleaching, and that’s how come some of them are fair. If you’ve been watching Ghanaian movies for a while, you’ll know that some of them were not fair before, but now they are because they had to maintain it."

Despite the pressure, Ankomah resisted the trend, attributing her decision to wisdom, faith, and her upbringing. "I thank God for wisdom because the Bible says the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. I thank God for my parents… my dad was an Adventist, may he rest in peace, and my mom is a strict Pentecostal."

"It takes the grace of God"

Reflecting on her journey in the industry, the actress acknowledged the challenges she faced before the rise of social media.

"It hasn’t been easy. It has just been the grace of God. When we started, there was nothing like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, or Twitter. It was just you being put on a poster," she shared.

She also addressed rumours about actors engaging in compromising situations to advance their careers, stressing that such pressures exist in every profession. "I’m sure wherever you are working too, people do all sorts of things just to be there. So it’s everywhere, trust me, but it takes the grace of God for you to say no to a lot of things."