Richmond Xavier Amoakoh, known as Lawyer Nti in the popular comedy show Kejetia Vs Makola, has denied claims that his character in the sitcom seeks to mock the speech and mannerisms of Ashantis.
The character Lawyer Nti speaks and acts in ways that in a way perceived to be a stereotypical and characteristic of indigenes of Ashanti the region.
The linguistic challenge with the pronunciation of words with the letters ‘L’ and ‘R’, and the general challenge with the use of the English language is common with Ashantis.
Some critics have descended heavily on the entire concept of the satirical show and described it as intending to mock the tribe and its lingual challenges.
However, the actor in an interview with Joy News’ Maxwell Amofia, who feels saddened by such comments, insists that the concept of the satirical piece has no such intentions.
“Honestly, when people say that, it saddens my heart a lot because we didn’t have any intentions of doing that. If you look at the name I use in the show, it doesn’t show that I am from the Ashanti region or from any specific place….so for somebody to tag it as ‘Kumasi’, just because we are in Kumasi and doing the thing from Kumasi, it’s sad,” he said.
The actor, known for his funny expressions such as ‘distin’, “crient”, ‘maen”, however, was of the view that such feedback from viewers was normal and could be helpful depending on how it is received.
“People will say a lot of things; good and bad. When they come, you sit down and sieve through them and take the best ones out of them, and the ones you think you can correct, you make the changes,” he advised.