A leading member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Gabby Asare Otchere Darko, has clarified that his earlier post on the Ghana movie industry was to provoke a healthy debate and not to denigrate anybody or the industry at large.
In a post on Facebook, he stated how the industry needed to improve, adding that some Ghanaian celebrities are performing well and promoting Ghana.
He, therefore, urged the Ghana showbiz industry (filmmakers, producers, musicians, and actors) to step out of their comfort zones to do more in terms of development and projecting Ghana.
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He said; “I hope I have provoked a healthy debate. It is not meant to denigrate but rather to generate a discussion about using entertainment more for development, social justice and education. There are many Ghanaian celebrities who use their influence in a positive way to promote a cause and we celebrate them. We saw many Ghanaian celebrities stepping out onto the streets during the pitch darkness of Dumsor to protest and we celebrated their activism. The debate I seek to provoke, however, is that we do not have enough filmmakers, musicians, etc, using their films or music, etc, to promote social justice, educate and entertain or to plug into a greater consciousness, like the theme Ghana Beyond Aid. How do we define that theme of consciousness that has resonated across the globe to effect change in our society and beyond? How do we use our creativity to change the mindset of our people from a culture of dependency and inadequacy to one of a confident AFRICA and Africans united in knowledge of their value and ready to push harder and smarter ahead? That is not to say those leading our creative industry are not good or brilliant in what they do. No!
"I am only calling for more Ama Ata Aidoos, Chinua Achebes, Spike Lees, and Ousmane Sembènes.
"Bob Marley, Nina Simone and John Lennon recognized the power of music and used their powerful voices to spread strong messages, to provoke discussions, to challenge stereotypes and to promote social justice. Solange, Common, Chance and even John Legend are such strong modern activists.
"I will end here with an instagram post by Questlove in 2014:
“We need new Dylans. New Public Enemys. New Simones. New De La Roachas. New ideas!" he wrote. "I mean real stories. Real narratives. Songs with spirit in them. Songs with solutions. Songs with questions. Protest songs don't have to be boring or non danceable or ready-made for the next Olympics. They just have to speak truth.”
Mr Otchere last Saturday drew the ire of some Ghanaian actors after he expressed disappointment about the quality of some Ghanaian movies.
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His post generated a lot of social media exchanges among some Ghanaian actors and concerned movie lovers who expressed their views on the challenges they are facing and how the previous and the current government has neglected the industry.
