Politicians using refugees as “political scapegoats or footballs” must be reminded they are people in need of empathy and compassion, Bridgerton actor Adjoa Andoh has said. Famous for most recently starring as Lady Danbury in the Netflix hit series, the actor is lending her voice to a short film made to highlight the plight facing those displaced from their homes due to conflict or persecution. Andoh, whose journalist father had to flee Ghana in the 1950s for a new life in the UK, spoke out as part of Refugee Week.
She said: “Refugees are just you and me, in different circumstances. “If we can do anything to make their lives easier – if we can speak to our politicians, and remind them, when they are using refugees as political scapegoats, or footballs, or ways of obtaining power, that they are people just like us, that they need our attention, our empathy, our compassion.” The film, by charity Migrant Help, challenges viewers to imagine the experience of having to leave their home within 60 seconds, showing a family hurriedly packing their belongings including medicines and cherished photographs.
Andoh narrated words written by British-Somali poet Momtaza Mehri, asking: “How much of your life could you carry on your back? In seconds, your home slips between your fingers. No time for goodbyes.” The actor described it as “an honour to lend my voice in support of refugees and displaced people all over the world”, adding: “I know so many friends who have com.
