Ghanaian ace rapper, Sarkodie is gradually getting into the bad books of some Ghanaians as he is being slammed for sharing pictures of himself stylishly smoking and holding cigar in public.
Sarkodie shared these pictures of himself featuring a huge cigar in his hand on his Twitter page. After Sarkodie shared those pictures, his Twitter comment section started experiencing mixed reactions.
According to some fans who acknowledge Sarkodie wields a lot of power to influence the youth suggest such pictures are uncalled for since it can have a negative impact on the youth, especially those who look up to him.
Some also averred that Sarkodie could have decided to post other pictures in which he wasn’t holding a cigar.
However, some were quick to defend the rapper. They were of the view that it didn’t really matter if Sarkodie posts a picture of himself smoking or not. They explained that it is Sarkodie’s choice to decide what he wants to share with the world. Therefore, it shouldn’t be anybody’s problem or business.
Apparently, the scene was captured at the ‘Ghana In The Park’ event held in London.
CSOs previously condemned Sarkodie for same act
Well, it seems the ace rapper doesn’t care about the feedback on his cigar-holding and smoking pictures. This is because, this current incident comes barely a week after a number of Civil Society Organizations (CSO) expressed their disappointment in the ‘Happy Day’ crooner for sharing some cigar-smoking pictures of himself.
The CSOs which included, Vision for Alternative Development (VALD), the Ghana Non-Communicable Diseases Alliance (Ghana NCD Alliance), Media Alliance in Tobacco Control and Health (MATCOH), Jaishi Initiative, and the Community Health Support Team (CHEST) noted in a statement:
“We are very disappointed in Sarkodie for circulating pictures of himself smoking a cigar on social media without considering the negative influence this singular act stands to have on the public, especially the youth, most of who consider him as their role model”.
They also called on Sarkodie to desist from the act in both his pictures and music videos to avoid indirectly ushering innocent youth into smoking, which has no benefit to humans.
They also noted in the statement that it is calling on the singer to render an apology to all Ghanaians, especially the youth, for such a distasteful act that has “the propensity of changing the behavior of our youth from good to bad and pledge to support and promote the health and well-being of all”.
They entreated, particularly those in the entertainment industry to note that Ghana’s Public Health Act (Act 851) under part Six, which talks about tobacco control measures, prohibits tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship, and also bans its products in the entertainment media.
“We expect Sarkodie to use his influence and his platforms positively to educate and instill good morals including healthy living in his followers and the public”.
The statement further read: “We find the act by the two-time BET Award winner as unprofessional, unethical and unhealthy. The youth by virtue of their youthful exuberance and experimentations follow the paths of individuals they have idolized and such must not be led into deadly pits by these same idols”.
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