I posted what caught my eye – Samuel L Jackson responds to backlash over pictures he shared from Ghana

Legendary American actor, Samuel L Jackson, who has been visiting parts of West Africa for an upcoming documentary on Slavery, has responded to the backlash over the pictures he shared from the places he visited.

The documentary,’ Enslaved’ has so far taken Jackson to Gabon, where he has traced his own ancestry, and Ghana. He has been sharing his experiences on social media but some social media users felt that he was only focusing on deprived locations and not highlighting the beautiful city life enough for the world to see.

Ghanaian filmmaker, Leila Djansi was particularly not happy with Jackson. She made a series of comments on the actor’s posts on instagram. One comment reads:

“Go to youtube and look for vlogs that show a real balanced Ghana and other African countries. @samuelljackson has an agenda not different from Western bullshitary. They always have to portray Africa as down trodden, hustling kids, laborers and less than appealing perceptions to keep us down and keep investors away. I can understand why he’d buy into the Western propaganda. Ghana is very modern and beautiful. Yes, there are rural communities entrenched in rich culture and traditions that preserve the dignity of the African. But just as America doesn’t use it’s ghettos as it’s poster child, these photos should not be used to represent Ghana or any other African country. Don’t for once think you’re better than these kids. None of them are on welfare, they’re not entitled, and they’re not being raped or have to fear assault rifles in their schools. There are problems in the country- terrible healthcare, corrupt politicians etc. just like any other country. But before you feel sorry for Africa, first, feel guilt. Because the continent was raped and robbed to make America and other Western powers great via slavery and colonization.”

In the heat of these backlash, I reached out to Jackson on Twitter for an interview on the matter.

I wrote:” @SamuelLJackson Hello Sir, how are you doing? I’ve seen growing concerns from Africans about you not balancing your posts on your visit with some of developed city life also. Can I interview you on that?”

The actor replied: “There’s nothing to unload here. I posted what caught my eye & know all too well that the posts coming from the continent show an affluent, modern & high fashion lifestyle enjoyed by many. Who cares what my hotel room looked like?!”

A Twitter user, BabyFisty followed up on his reply and commented: “Yes..i went to check his tweets and Instagram pics i was like how about taking a photo at that grand hotel you slept in posting it online. I dunno why they do that always. Always sending the wrong signals to the west”

Jackson also replied that saying: “Seriously? “They”?! Apparently you have the ability to open our eyes… so Do It!! Sorry you feel… whatever it is you feel. For the record, I Loved Every Minute I Was There!!!!”

There’s nothing to unload here. I posted what caught my eye & know all too well that the posts coming from the continent show an affluent, modern & high fashion lifestyle enjoyed by many. Who cares what my hotel room looked like?!

— Samuel L. Jackson (@SamuelLJackson) August 18, 2019

Seriously? “They”?! Apparently you have the ability to open our eyes… so Do It!! Sorry you feel… whatever it is you feel. For the record, I Loved Every Minute I Was There!!!!

— Samuel L. Jackson (@SamuelLJackson) August 18, 2019