Ghanaian actress and movie producer, Yvonne Nelson, is set to lead a protest amidst ongoing power outages that have disrupted the daily activities of citizens.
Nelson previously led a protest against power outages in 2015 during the administration of John Dramani Mahama dubbed #DumsorMustStop due to the frequent power outages. That protest is considered one of the biggest to come from anyone in the entertainment industry yet.
Years after the demonstration, Ghana’s power crisis has become an issue of concern, with outages experienced all around the country. Energy experts and Ghanaian citizens have criticised the government’s handling of the situation.
Ms. Nelson stated on X (formerly known as Twitter) that she is waiting for IMANI’s invitation to join the vigil, reminiscent of their collaboration in 2015.
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“IMANI Ghana, can we mobilise another vigil? I’ve been anticipating your outreach, just as you did years ago (your team greatly contributed to the success of our demonstration). I’m extending my own outreach. The NPP and its leadership, including @NAkufoAddo, have disregarded the concerns of Ghanaians. DUMSORMUSTSTOP,” she wrote.
Imani Ghana, can we organize another vigil? Ive been waiting for you to reach out like you did years back. ( your team made our demo a success ) Im reaching out myself. The NPP and its leadership @NAkufoAddo have taken Ghanaians for granted . #DUMSORMUSTSTOP
— 𝓨𝓿𝓸𝓷𝓷𝓮 𝓝𝓮𝓵𝓼𝓸𝓷 (@yvonnenelsongh) April 22, 2024
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According to Nelson, the protest back in 2015 was made possible in large part by the influential policy think tank IMANI Ghana and a large number of Ghanaian celebrities who attended the vigil, which raised awareness of the consequences of power outages for the populace.
In an interesting turn of events, Bright Simmons, a Ghanaian writer and vice-president in charge of research at IMANI Centre for Policy and Education, questioned Yvonne Nelson’s inability to amplify IMANI’s recent activism regarding Ghana’s turbulent economy in a post on X after Nelson reached out to the foundation. He has also denied any involvement with the planning of the protest.
“We’ve been chasing ECG, pursuing CWM matters, fighting over gas value chain issues (a la Genser), probing power tariff proposals, highlighting IPP debt buildup etc etc. I’m afraid I’ve never seen Ms. Nelson amplify any of that work. Ever. Not even a retweet. Now, why is that?” He wrote.
We’ve been chasing ECG, pursuing CWM matters, fighting over gas value chain issues (a la Genser), probing power tariff proposals, highlighting IPP debt buildup etc etc. I’m afraid I’ve never seen Ms. Nelson amplify any of that work. Ever. Not even a retweet. Now, why is that? 🤷🏾♂️ pic.twitter.com/o9absAKtLA
— Bright Simons (@BBSimons) April 23, 2024