Is Ghallywood And Kumawood Going To Survive

Over some years now, the issue of more love for foreign television series has been a major problem for the Ghana movie industry being it both Ghallywood and Kumawood. What are the major courses; is it lack of contents? Yes I agree that ‘some’ movies made by Ghanaian producers are nothing to write home about but does that give us the license to promote foreign culture and forbid ours? We all want progress of Ghana, we all want to put Ghana out there, promote our culture, beliefs, values and norms as a nation and the best way to do this is to exhibit what we have here.

If it is contents that these media houses are lacking, they can involve actors, actresses and producers to develop programs that will motivate Ghanaians to patronize local movies.

These same media houses can do what we term us the in house production; where they can bring up their own TV shows, series and movies by involving our actors and actresses

It is time for program directors to work and partner with some of the actresses, actors and other stake holders, to do in house production and promote our culture and values rather than buying these Indian and Mexican telenovelas which are forcing Ghanaians to live life like other people. We can create the gusto for people to love our Industry.

Some actors and actresses here in Ghana have started the campaign on this.

“I am so happy that people are talking about it finally. What stories are these Mexican, Indian telenovelas telling that we haven’t told already and retold over and over again.

“Is it a poor girl meets a rich man story? Big deal, we have done it over and over. I guess what they say is true; Africans believe everything black is substandard,” Yvonne Okoro posted on her Instagram page.

“It is sad and unfortunate when individuals in the industry refuse or [deny] when it comes to issues like this in Ghana, I have been in the industry for over a decade so when I say the industry is dying or the enthusiasm and the excitement in the industry is no more, it’s true. Some of us have been talking about this and we were attacked…I personally don’t have a problem."

“I am talking about the future of the industry because left to me, the least I can do is to probably produce, I shouldn’t be complaining, the bottom line is a whole lot of things going on that is not making the industry grow, that is why I decided to add my voice,” -Prince David Osei.

If you keep showing foreign stuffs on TV we tune the peoples mind to accept foreign stuff and not to accept our own. We go to the extent of organizing rivalries for kids who could sing music themes of these foreign series….what are we teaching them? Are we truly independent? Ghana is a great nation full of talents and we are losing it. Why is it so difficult to appreciate our own? Rather than showing too much love for foreign soaps. We lose talents each and every day, we doing it to Actors, we do it to musicians, we do it to footballers etc., it is about time we start loving ourselves and appreciate what we have. We cannot expect outsiders to make Ghana better for us. Ultimately the best way to solve this is to come together and produce good content.

Does it create employment? No, we are just promoting other peoples culture and forcing ourselves to relate. Foreign series does not swell any good to the economy.

Daniel Odame Omenako Junior