Adjetey Annan: A Story of Faith, Imperfection and Resilience

I have always had a soft spot for Adjetey Annan and Roland Adom and a few others who I’ll mention when the time comes.

What I mean is, when an opportunity comes that requires their mention, such as in Adjetey’s case, the review of this book titled, Adjetey Annan – A Story of Faith, Imperfection and Resilience, written by him to, among others, tell his story then I seize it.

There’s this popular adage that, “Show me your friend, and I will show you your character”, which in effect means that you can tell who a person is, by just knowing the people he associates, with or let’s just say, flow with, so to speak.

At the School of Performing Arts, University of Ghana, Legon, I was required to direct a one-act play as part of my coursework in directing for my Master’s programme. It had to be on a shoestring budget, so I chose the “Cell”, a play with two characters, and a simple set, but with lots of lines. 

Humble, soft-spoken Adjetey, hardworking, focused and committed just like his close buddy, Roland, even though busy with their own undergraduate programme, nailed it for me. I hope you understand why I alluded to the adage. All the people who mentored him, associated with him and rolled with him, were people with upright characters.

The foreword was written by no less a person than Rev. Albert Ocran, the originator of “The Springboard Road Show Foundation”, a virtual University, dedicated to leadership, personal development, career growth, and committed to building a good society among many other objectives. 

In the foreword, he noted that “In this book, Adjetey Annan, the author, chronicles the story of his life with the subtitle, Faith, Imperfection and Resilience, three words”, which he said, “Immediately caught my attention; because they are the very heart of our Christian walk and our struggle for meaning as individuals placed here by God for a purpose”.

Reverend Ocran’s explanation of the subtitle is instructive. It reminds readers that all through the scriptures, we are reminded that we live our Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. He also revealed the fact that most of the people God used in the scriptures, were people with self-confessed imperfections, that God transformed, equipped and empowered for His purposes.

Finally, he said, “Resilience is important because it is only when we have run the race, with endurance, that we receive the crown”. It is clear that his association with Adjetey and his wife, Elorm, at Christ Temple and also various activities connected with the Springboard platforms, confirmed Adjetey’s positive traits and mentioned that he was also impressed with the narrative style of the book.

Rev. Ocran disclosed that he was pleased with Adjetey’s unashamed sharing of his faith, considering the fact that in the entertainment industry, it was not the norm and declared that “I wholeheartedly endorse this book by Adjetey Annan, timed to coincide with his 50th birthday”.

Preface

In the preface, Adjetey invites us into the depths of his being, to share the raw emotions, pivotal moments, and transformative experiences that shaped him to become the celebrated actor, devoted family man, and compassionate person he is today. We are also drawn into his world, his birth, early childhood, and the formation of friendships.

Adjetey’s mother began the marathon narrative relay of his wonderful journey that has travelled 50 years, by telling us about the birth of her wonderful first fruit and only son, Adjetey Annan. She took us through the period of her pregnancy, her labour, the birth and childhood of her wonderful son and even her fears when she thought he was going to die while up in Bolgatanga.

She hands the baton to Adjetey who continues the narrative of his journey by telling us about his childhood from his perspective. His growth living in Tema and the interesting issue of growing up with neighbours such as the Ayivors, the typical nuclear family and compound houses with different families. 

His strict, but kind and understanding mother and the adventures and escapades of his youth, including “gutter to gutter”, and all with his friends. Still, with the baton, Adjetey talks about school, friendships and his early days at Labone Secondary School, which would surely bring up memories of your days in Form One, when you were “homoed”.

The baton goes to Adjetey’s sister, who continues the narrative, and in three pages, extols the virtues of his brother. According to her, she enjoyed a bond with his brother that transcended time and surpassed ordinary sibling connections. “Adjetey is not just my brother, but he is a confidante, my pillar of strength, and the epitome of brotherly support”.

First love

Talking about his first love, the theatre, when the baton returned to him, showed you another Adjetey, who explained that the theatre moulded him, exposing his strengths and weaknesses and disclosing how the stage prepared him for the screens. His time with Abibigromma was here, highlighted. 

The baton in the hands of Majid, paid glowing tribute to Adjetey as he described him playing Pusher in “Things We Do For Love”, and said of him, “Adjetey is a pure talent with determination, a heart of faith and hard work”. Wakefield Ackuaku, who introduced him to acting, described him in one word: Phenomenal. And you should also read what Ivan Quarshigah, one of Ghana’s leading Film Directors, also had to say about him.

Adjetey's narration of how he met Elorm is beautiful is another interesting read. This, I believe, you should read yourself because there are things that one cannot explain better than the one saying it. And of course, you don’t expect me to touch on the marital challenges and imperfections of our star. Please, do pick a copy of this book and read it at your leisure.

I don’t have much space but can’t do without putting something down, while Elorm, Adjetey’s wife, has the baton to continue the journey, when the two met, the feelings were mutual. Elorm was scared of losing him and, therefore, decided to discourage him from acting. However, things stabilised after Adjetey went back to acting after staying off for a while. I will skip the problems, which she succinctly writes about.

Christ

Adjetey’s encounter with Christ and the challenges he faced as a Christian in the entertainment industry is worth reading about. The lessons are manifold and will surely serve many a soul that needs a helping hand.

The book is really an enjoyable one with 49 pages of memorable pictures, covering his childhood, school, acting on stage and in films and marriage, as well as film posters and the awards he had won. There are also the testimonies of his colleagues, which are quite revealing. 

In the book he autographed for me, he had written, “Stay Blessed Unco Moffatt, Keep Smiling. Adjetey”. Guess what I am doing now. Smiling!

Reviewer’s E-mail: niiaddokwei@yahoo.com