I Still Have Pictures Of My Childhood Growing Up In Ghana—Hollywood Star Boris Kodjoe
Boris Kodjoe has arrived in Ghana, possibly to commemorate Christmas and reconnect with his origins, and Ghanaian ace broadcaster and business mogul Bola Ray managed to interview him exclusively.
During the interview, the renowned Hollywood actor expressed that being of mixed heritage is advantageous, as it allows him to embrace various aspects of his identity.
Mr. Kodjo revealed that he felt an immediate connection with his ancestors upon arriving in Ghana. Furthermore, he highlighted that, unlike many other African Americans who are unaware of their specific origins on the continent, he possesses childhood photographs that depict his upbringing in Ghana.
“My mother, who is white she had a hard time navigating two black children. My father left when I was five so I only saw sporadically. When we come to Ghana we come with him so as soon as I came to Ghana I felt the connection. This is home here more than I do in Germany.
“But growing up my parents always instilled in us that being of mixed heritage was an asset. Is nothing to be ashamed of, it is nothing to hide and it is not a liability, it is an asset because you can speak more than two or three languages. You are attached to various cultures and you get to know the world. So it is always being presented to me that way,” Mr. Kodjoe stated.
According to him, knowing his roots is something a lot of African-American do not have.
“I was a baby in Ghana and I have pictures running around Tesano, that is where we lived, that is where my uncle lived and played tennis at two three years at the Tesano Club House.
“Knowing my roots and knowing heritage, my ancestry and knowing my family is something a lot of African-American don’t have. There is that disconnection from their ancestry,” he added.
Kodjoe’s full name is Boris Frederic Cecil Tay-Natey Ofuatey Kodjoe. He is a German actor and former model best known for his roles as Kelby in the 2002 film Brown Sugar, the sports courier agent Damon Carter on the Showtime drama series Soul Food, Dr. Will Campbell on CBS’s Code Black and a recurring character on FOX’s The Last Man on Earth.
Kodjoe was born in Vienna, Austria, to Ursula, a German psychologist of Jewish descent, and Eric Kodjoe, a Ghanaian physician of the Nzema people. His namesake is the Russian poet and writer Boris Pasternak. Kodjoe’s great-grandmother on his mother’s side was Jewish and tragically lost her life in the Holocaust, while his maternal grandmother managed to survive by hiding during the war.
When he was six years old, Kodjoe’s parents divorced, and he spent his formative years in the vicinity of Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany. He has a brother named Patrick and two sisters named Nadja and Lara.
Recognized as one of the “50 Most Beautiful People in the World” by People magazine in 2002, Kodjoe gained prominence as a regular cast member on the Showtime drama Soul Food, which aired from 2000 to 2004. He also appeared in the 2002 film Brown Sugar and starred alongside his Soul Food co-star Nicole Ari Parker in the short-lived sitcom Second Time Around, which eventually led to their marriage. In the October 2005 film The Gospel, he portrayed the character David Taylor, the prodigal son of Pastor Fred Taylor.
Additionally, he showcased his talent in the play Whatever She Wants, alongside Vivica A. Fox, and made a guest appearance on the fifth season of Nip/Tuck.
In the 2009 science fiction film Surrogates, he played a supporting role. Kodjoe and Gugu Mbatha-Raw portrayed a husband-and-wife secret agent team in the 2010 J. J. Abrams-produced NBC TV series Undercovers, although the show unfortunately did not last beyond one season. That same year, he also took on the role of Luther in the film Resident Evil: Afterlife. In 2012, he made a guest appearance on the TV show Franklin & Bash.
