No arts writers at presidential encounter. Big Deal?

In January 2012, then President John Evans Atta Mills had an encounter with the media, at which he recounted what he had done as president after three years at the helm of affairs of the country. 

He proceeded to give the floor to the media to ask questions of him and his government.

One of the lasting memories from that encounter was a question posed by Citi FM’s Shamima Muslim and the subsequent answer the president gave. The clap back by the president was too heavy to be ignored and it gave a good fodder to trolls on social media.

Shamima: What kind of leader are you - charismatic or transformational leader?

President Mills: We like borrowing words we don’t understand. My simple answer is that whatever I am I have enabled Ghanaians to have water, extended roads, removed schools under trees, migrate Ghanaians unto Single Spine Salary Structure, call it madam what you may.

There was another of such Presidential encounters with the media in January 2016 by the president at the time, President John Dramani Mahama who also gave the opportunity to the selected media invited to the Flag Staff House to ask him questions on his stewardship after three years.

At the said encounter, another female broadcaster in the name of Nana Aba Anamoah asked the President a question that led to her roasting on social media.

Nana Aba: What keeps you awake at night?

President Mahama: I hardly sleep…God blessed me with sleep. I’m a good sleeper…If anything keeps me awake, it is just how to make this country a better place.

This introduction part is not to suggest that I am going to talk about questions asked at such encounters, but to note that the presidential encounters are noted for fodder that can be chewed on by political commentators and internet trolls for a long time.

Two days ago, the current president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo held an encounter with the media to talk about the performance of his six months old government. This encounter was also for a select media persons and houses.

It is important to note that this particular encounter was appropriately named as an “encounter with the media” as opposed to some previous ones qualifying the attendees invited to the forum as “senior journalists”.

One of the lamentations of the sector of the media that reports and talks about issues related to tourism, culture and creative arts has been the tendency, all the time since President Mills started such an encounter after his 100 days in 2009, to not invite such to have an encounter with the President.

I don’t recall if it was after President Mills 100 days encounter in 2009 or the three years one in 2012 that my then editor Nanabanyin Dadson called the President and his minders to order and reminded them that the tourism and arts community were also needed at such fora to interact with the president.

Dadson argued that the reason the arts and entertainment sector of the media was not invited was because it was considered as not as serious and therefore not to be equally matched with other “more serious” sectors like finance, education and politics.

Indeed he even reminded the president that the beautiful shirt he wore to the encounter was possible because of the creative arts. That the person who designed it was a part of the sector of the economy that is not given any serious consideration at such forums.

That article and the concomitant commentary on many other media platforms in its support seemed to have hit no nerve at the places in government it was targeted. This is because it didn’t succeed in luring arts and entertainment journalists to subsequent presidential pressers.

You would think that the last government which went a step further to establish a ministry for tourism and creative arts and the current one which maintained the status quo would see reason enough to give some representation to that sector of the economy to ask the president about issues pertinent to it. But no, neither of them would encounter the idea.

At this last encounter, President Akufo-Addo was resplendently dressed in a beautiful shirt made from what looked like Ghanaian fabric. That would mean that there is someone from the fashion sector of the creative arts who has been working effortlessly to ensure that the president would look dapper in Ghanaian shirt for his public appearances.

It looks like that’s the style the president has chosen and that is a big boost for the textile and fashion sector of the economy as that seems to be what he wants to promote. That is very commendable, I should say.
However, it is important to note that the encounter he had was held without a very strong representation from the sector that makes him look dazzling, entertains him when he is not working to solve the problems of Ghana and keeps his mood going well all the time.

The fact is that apart from inviting media houses there are some specific media persons who are invited because of their weight and class in their chosen profession. I think if those could be invited then a special case could be made for special sections of the media as well.

There is an argument by some that media houses were invited and they should have had the sense to send reporters from that sector as well to attend. I beg to differ on that. There are specific media for specific subjects. At Graphic and Times for example, there are papers like Graphic Showbiz and The Spectator which focus on tourism and creative arts.

When the government communicators want to have coverage for activities in these sectors they know how to invite editors and reporters to such events or send them releases about such subjects, but can argue that the Editor of Graphic could have sent someone from Graphic Showbiz. Really?

There are others like George Quaye of GhOne’s Pundits who have argued that the other journalists who were at the encounter could or should have asked questions about the creative arts. I don’t see how that should be so since each was there to ask questions that would be in tandem with their beat.

Some may think this is just whining from a small number of arts writers (and you damn well know that no one likes whiners), but it is important that we speak about this. How do we ask questions about the manifesto promises made to the sector? The continued neglect of the tourism, creative arts and culture media from such encounters is a big deal and it needs to be addressed.

Oh along with those from the sports sector, my checks show that no one from the leading sports newspaper in the country, Graphic Sports has ever been invited to such encounters. Thus the activities considered very light, that is sports and entertainment, can’t a presidential encounter be invited.

@TheGHMediaGuru