Give us Creative Arts Council - Stakeholders tell govt

Players in the creative arts sector have urged government to ensure the establishment of the Creative Arts Council to help transform the industry this year after a lacklustre 2017.

Speaking to Showbiz on their expectations for the sector this year, bodies like the MusiciansUnion of Ghana (MUSIGA) and the Federation of Concerned Arts Professionals (FOCAP) said the Creative Arts Council will sanitise and provide much needed direction for the industry.

Last year, the Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Catherine Afeku, appointed a three-member team made up of Mark Okraku Mantey (President), Gyankroma Akufo-Addo (Director) and Bibi Bright (Secretary) to nominate members to make up the Creative Arts Council as well as select a fivemember Governing Board but not much seems to have come out of it and for many players, that also stalled the industry’s progress last year.

Director of Communications and Special Projects of MUSIGA, Ahuma Bosco Ocansey (Daddy Bosco) told Showbiz, the Union looked forward to the setting up of the Council.

“The Council provides an interface at ministerial level for the creative arts, such that domain leaders have an opportunity to deal directly with ministers or their empowered representatives to take and implement decisions that will impact the sector,” he said.

Daddy Bosco also said this year, MUSIGA hopes government will reintroduce music education in schools especially in our basic schools and also provide tax waivers on the importation of musical equipment.

“We also look to government to hasten the process of transforming NAFTI into a fully fledged university to facilitate the provision of tailor made training for the music industry and the creative arts as a whole,” he added.

Convener of FOCAP, Kojo Preko Dankwah, said establishing the Creative Arts Council is one of the best ways of reviving the industry. For FOCAP, a key expectation for 2018 is that government will take the creative arts sector seriously and provide the much needed financial support as well as empower its bodies like the National Commission on Culture.

“FOCAP expects the NPP government to fulfill its manifesto promises including establishing theatres in all the 10 regions and revisiting the cultural policy. We also want government to help FOCAP establish the creative Hall of Fame to enable us recognise our heroes,” he said.

Culture and Tourism advocate, PaJohn Bentsifi Dadson, said while not a new concept, the Creative Arts Council needs to be revamped and overnment needs to look at the most effective way of putting it together.

“The creative industry people need to select their leadership who will then spearhead, and make sure the Council brings a well established link between government and players,” he told Showbiz.

PaJohn is a member of the Ghana Cultural Forum which has been working with successive governments for years. He said they had been working with the World Bank to get funding for the creative arts sector and with the NDPC to develop a national agenda for culture and hopes this can continue in 2018.

“I also expect more from the industry front this year. I hope they come together to forge a united front and access whatever support government can provide so that the sector can begin to do a lot more,” he added.

For the Ghana Music Rights Organisation (GHAMRO), its target for 2018 is to rake in revenue for the music right owner in Ghana. Public Relations Officer, Prince Tsegah, tells Showbiz they want to make sure their users especially radio stations log music they play to help GHAMRO realise the dream of instituting the Title Specific Distribution known in Ghana as ‘pay per play system’.

He added, “the NPP government promised in their 2016 manifesto to help institute the logging system. GHAMRO will be glad if this idea is put to action immediately, since we have already set plans in motion but the technological options to make this possible is really expensive and government support will be welcome.”

He also appealed to government to pay the Blank Levy on time this year to avoid delays as experienced in previous years.

“Money is collected from importers of equipment that can duplicate music such as pendrives, phones, hard discs etc so its not understandable such money should delay,”Prince stated.