The controversial memoir “I am not Yvonne Nelson” by Ghanaian actress Yvonne Nelson contains information about some of the men who crossed her path.
Joel Duncan-Williams, the son of Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams, was one of the many men who allegedly tried to win Yvonne’s heart, according to the book, which has gained widespread attention in Ghana since its official release on Sunday, June 18.
Their paths first crossed in 2009, according to Yvonne, but because of his request for her to be interceded for by his father before they could become husband and wife, their friendship has come to an end.
“In 2009, while I was on set shooting The Prince’s, I received a visitor. He was not my visitor, as he had come to see someone else. However, by the end of his visit, I turned out to matter more to him than the person he had come to see. This visitor, if I should call him that because of the retinue of security guards he moved with, derived his influence from the surname he carried. His name is Joel Duncan-Williams, the son of the founder and leader of Action Faith Chapel International, Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams. Until that day, I hadn’t known or heard about him, but I couldn’t fail to notice his imposing presence when he showed up. Before he left the movie set, he said he had fallen in love with me,” she wrote.
The son of the archbishop went to great lengths to demonstrate the seriousness of his love by bringing her lunch on set with a heavy security escort in a mini-convoy, while she was still unsure about his proposal, she writes.
“While I was still unsure of what to tell him, his plans for marriage were far advanced. But something abruptly ended our friendship before it had the slimmest probability of developing further. He paid me a visit one evening with the usual princely entourage that I had only seen in movies featuring non-state officials. When the howling of his motorcade’s siren had adequately announced to the neighborhood that an important somebody had arrived at my household, he came in and announced his plans. He said that before the marriage could proceed, I had to go to his father to be prayed for. The purpose of that prayer was to ensure that any demons or evil spirits present in me or my family line would be cast out,” she narrated.
Yvonne continues by saying that while she was a spiritual person herself, she felt offended by Joel’s suggestion of praying to cast out demons because it cast her in a negative light.
“In my head, I asked whether he didn’t think my mother also needed to pray to cast out any potential bad spirits in him.Being the son of Archbishop Duncan-Williams didn’t necessarily mean he was inhabited by the Holy Spirit and guarded by angels. And who told him that being an actress meant that I was a harbinger of malevolent spirits? At least, those who lived in our area would testify that the Manovia household used to be one of the most religious households around.
“My mother’s sense of spirituality heightened after a motor accident she was involved in, and it was rare to miss morning devotion in our house. Those were the times, in my teenage years, I used to interrupt prayer sessions with revelations from God. When I started my acting career, I made it a point to always pray before I started any movie role I was given.
“I am not one of those who wear their religion on their sleeves, but I believe in God and believe in prayers. I have seen the hand of God in my affairs many times, and I have no doubt He comes through for me when I call on Him. I don’t believe in just big pastors or men of God, some of whom are nothing short of entrepreneurs. Therefore, I found it funny that someone who was interested in marrying me and hadn’t secured my consent thought I needed to be spiritually cleansed even before he proceeded. He didn’t see the need for that cleansing to be mutual,” she said.
