EDITOR’S LENS: Influx of foreign telenovelas worrying
AS Ghana continues to experience the weight of globalisation, a pressing concern threatens the very fabric of our society with the proliferation of foreign telenovelas dubbed in local languages.
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It has become a double-edged sword, entertaining millions while subtly undermining our rich cultural heritage.
Ga Mantse, Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, has sounded the alarm, highlighting the urgent need to reclaim our cultural narrative via films.
In a recent interview with Graphic Showbiz, His Royal Majesty Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II noted that foreign telenovelas dubbed into our local languages shouldn’t be encouraged.
He explained that watching foreign actors in their traditional costumes, among others, greatly influences us to accept other cultures at the expense of ours since it fails to reflect and promote Ghana's rich cultural heritage and traditions.
The Ga Mantse's words, along with similar cautions that have been sounded by the likes of Highlife veteran, Rex Omar, serve as a wake-up call, reminding us that our cultural identity is slowly being supplanted by alien norms and values through these telenovelas.
Graphic Showbiz understands that the world has become a global village and the influence of foreign culture can’t be non-existent.
However, these external pressures can be contained since the consequences of eroding our cultural values and traditions are far-reaching.
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Our traditional institutions, family structures, and social norms are being gradually eroded, and replaced by foreign constructs that contradict our Ghanaian essence.
Our youth, in particular, are vulnerable to these influences, absorbing values that may not align with our cultural principles.
Moreover, the dominance of dubbed content stifles local creative expressions. Ghanaian storytellers, filmmakers, and writers struggle to find platforms and resources to produce authentic, culturally relevant content.
Our own stories, histories and legends remain untold, they are overshadowed by imported narratives and it is, therefore, not out of place for Ga Mantse to charge the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Film Authority (NFA), Juliet Asante, and her team with the responsibility of ensuring more local content projecting Ghana’s culture and traditions gained prominence.
To reverse this trend of our rich cultural heritage virtually eroding, all hands must be on deck to prioritise local content creation, among other things, increasing funding for local content production, creating regulatory policies, and promoting local content broadcast and cultural education programmes that highlight Ghana's rich heritage.
By so doing, we can preserve our cultural legacy for future generations and also foster cultural pride and national identity.