Film Producers in Kumasi protest against power crisis
A number of local film producers in Kumasi defied a downpour to stage a two-hour procession to protest against the effects of the current energy crisis on the film industry last Thursday.
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Dubbed Esum Aduru Yén vigil and organised by the Film Producers Association of Ghana (FIPAG), the film producers in the company of a few actors and their supporters marched through some principal streets of the Kumasi metropolis before converging on the Jubilee Park where they were addressed by their leaders.
Scheduled to start at 3 p.m., the vigil eventually took off around 5 p.m. because of the late arrival of the police personnel detailed to provide security for the demonstrators.
Just when the demonstrators exited the Centre for National Culture onto the Bantama High Street, the rain started, and one would have thought that would stop them from going ahead with the march.
They, however, defied the downpour and marched through the rains with their supporters and eventually ended up at the Jubilee Park.
Effect of power crisis
Mr James Aboagye, FIPAG Secretary, who addressed the gathering, asked the government to, as a matter of urgency, address the energy crisis because it was seriously affecting the film industry.
He said most of the production houses were collapsing as a result of the power crisis and even those that managed to come out with their productions were unable to sell them because patrons complained of not having power to watch them.
He said those who patronised their products “do not have the means to buy generators and even those who are able to afford them do not have the money to fuel them”.
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That, he said, was not helping the industry to grow and contribute its quota to the development of the country.
Apolitical
According to him, the demonstrators were not politicians and were not in favour of any political party and asked that their march should not be misconstrued to be in support of any political party.
To prevent any political party from taking advantage of the march, the leadership of FIPAG agreed that no placards or petition should be presented.
Although the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Bernard Antwi Boasiaku, was at the Jubilee Park and had wanted to address them, he was not given the platform.
No Show
Although the march was well attended, the popular faces in the local movie industry were missing in action.
Popular faces such as Rose Mensah, popularly known as Kyeiwaa, Kofi Adu (Agya Koo), Mercy Asiedu, Vivian Jill, Nana Ama Macbrown, Kwaku Manu and Akrobeto did not participate in the march.
That notwithstanding, the organisers described the march as very successful.