Save our movies

The early movies to have been shot in Ghana hold a lot of intrinsic historical value as they provide a unique and interesting look into the culture of the country. For a country like Ghana, many of these movies also capture not only the pre-independence struggle but also the sense of anticipation, anxiety mixed with optimism that swept across the country in the early days of our independence.

Such movies are historical treasures, hence the country owes a responsibility to film makers/lovers and future generations to ensure they are preserved for posterity.  This is why Showbiz finds the notable absence of Ghana from the ongoing initiative of the African Film Heritage Project to locate, restore and preserve historical African films very worrying.

In the early days of filmmaking on the continent, Ghana was considered a powerhouse and it is no secret that filmmakers from neighbouring African countries came here to be trained. So why then are these countries actively working to preserve their historical movies while stakeholders in Ghana watch seemingly unconcerned? 

As pointed out by our columnist Arnold Asamoah-Baidoo in this edition, military coups, apathy and the multiple sale of the Ghana Film Industry Corporation has resulted in the loss or destruction of many of these historical movies. However all is not lost yet as we still have the opportunity to preserve the few movies we have left.

The Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture has to as a matter of urgency, find ways of assembling and preserving these works of art. The Ministry is in a unique position to use its influence to set in motion the necessary steps to save our movies.