Azumah Nelson's life story deserves to be told on film-Ga Mantse urges government

In acknowledgement of the heroic exploits of a son of Ga-Dangme lineage, Ga Mantse, King Tackie Tsuru II, is urging the government to invest in films that highlight Ghana's hidden gems such as legendary boxer, Azumah Nelson.

Speaking at the second edition of Africa Cinema Summit (ACS) in Accra yesterday, the King stressed on cinema's role in preserving cultural heritage and telling heroic life stories of sons of the soil who have excelled.

 “One random [story] considering that we are on Ga and Ga-Adamgbe land and considering that he is a custodian of the Ga Adamgbe culture, is the story of one of the most achieved athletes on the African continent Barima Professor Azumah Zumzum Nelson who is a son of the Ga soil.

“His story has that of culture, inspiration and has that of projection for the future, the African way. This is one of the many stories that can be pursued in a very vigorous way by the government that takes over in the year 2025,” he said.

In the speech read on his behalf by media personality, Nathaniel Attoh, the Ga Mantse, didn’t only show lots of hope for the future of African cinema, but equally expressed concern about the way foreign media portrays the continent. 

He noted that international media outlets tend to focus on negative stories about Africa, perpetuating a skewed narrative, calling on African filmmakers to change the narrative.

“We also remember with a lot of pain the images that have been projected in the foreign media away from the African continent, and we all do know what we are talking about. Those unfortunate images of people who are distressed and woken by the sides of the streets were in actual fact the people in Rwanda and their leadership under His Excellency President Kagame, were looking at a future or they were looking at a day like today,” he said. 

 “As we embark on this journey at the Africa Cinema Summit, let us reaffirm our commitment to cinema as a vital tool for cultural preservation, economic empowerment and social transformation. The relevance of cinema cannot be overstated. It is a reflection of our past, and the representation of our present, as well as a projection of our future,” he stated.

The second edition of Africa Cinema Summit (ACS) opened in Accra on Monday, October 7, with a call for Africans to build a strong cinema network. (Related article: Second edition of Africa Cinema Summit opens, with a call to revive cinema culture)

Organised by the National Film Authority (NFA) of Ghana, in partnership with Filmhouse Group (Nigeria), Silverbird Cinema (Ghana), Cinema Exhibitors Association of Nigeria, Century CineMax (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda), Canal Olympia, among others, this year’s summit is themed, “Is Cinema Relevant in African Communities”.

It boasted an impressive headliner, Hollywood actor Idris Elba, who graced the occasion at the opening ceremony on Monday.

Ghana’s Minister of Tourism, Creative Arts, and Culture, Andrew Egyapa Mercer and Deputy, Mark Okraku Mantey were some of the dignitaries who attended the opening session as well. 

 There will be a Legacy Award ceremony on later this evening at the Movenpick Hotel in Accra to climax the summit which will officially close tomorrow, October 10.