Ghanaian theatre goes global - Ghana Must Go response to Big Push initiative
Ghanaian creative production outfit, Globe Productions, has launched an audacious initiative to take compelling and authentic Ghanaian stories to theatres across the globe.
With the support of the Ministries of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, and the Foreign Affairs, Globe Productions will stage fascinating and hilarious plays of Ghanaian stories in Africa, Europe, Asia and America, on a roadshow dubbed.
Ghana Must Go
The global campaign under The Big Push Ghana Project and a major activation of the Black Star Experience launched by the government a fortnight ago will combine entertainment, culture, business and diplomacy to position Ghana as a premier destination for investment and tourism.
Participants in the launch.
Through the power of performance, storytelling and spectacle, Globe Productions and its collaborators are hoping to ride on the back of Ghana Must Go to attract over 2,000 high-value tourists and investors in each international city.
Ghana Must Go is a comical, culturally rich and inspirational stage production that follows the journey of a tourist-turned-investor who discovers the vast opportunities, beauty and potential of Ghana.
It fuses music, dance, humour and drama to tell Ghana’s story in a way that no PowerPoint ever could, touching hearts, shifting perceptions and stirring action,” the brainchild and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Globe Productions, Latif Abubakar, said at the launch of the initiative in Accra yesterday.
The Ghana Must Go global tour happens to be the 20th stage theatrical production by Globe Productions and the caravan will start from Accra, with two days of performances with ace Ghanaian actor and theatre scholar, Adjetey Annan, leading the cast before taking the fun to the rest of the countries earmarked for visit from August this year.
The Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) will once again host Ghana Must Go on May 24 and 25, this year, ahead of the worldwide tour next month.
The launch of the Ghana Must Go global tour attracted a wide range of personalities from the creatives and media industry, with representation of state agencies and public actors.
They included the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, herself an actress; the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), Gilbert Abeiku ‘Santana’ Aggrey; the President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, who led a team to the event, and lead cast, Adjetey Annan, as well as veteran actor, Fred Amugi.
The Big Push Ghana
Launching the initiative, the Minister of Tourism emphasised the importance of embracing and celebrating Ghana's unique cultural heritage to drive progress and development.
She indicated that the Ghana Must Go compendium of play, exhibition and business and investment forum was part of the Black Star Experience, and urged Ghanaians to appreciate and promote their own culture, rather than turning to other cultures for inspiration.
Today is a celebration of creative brilliance and the unveiling of a vision, a global campaign under The Big Push Ghana Project and a major activation of the Black Star Experience launched by the government of Ghana.
“Ghana Must Go is not just a play, it is a movement. It is an invitation for the world to see Ghana, not only as the land of heritage and hospitality but as a land of investment, innovation and endless possibility,” Ms Gomashie said.
She said through theatre, the initiative would be using one of the country’s richest assets — culture — to drive one of its biggest ambitions of positioning Ghana as a premier destination for tourism and investment in Africa.
The Tourism Minister said together with its partners, Globe Productions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and a range of public and private sector collaborators, the country would be taking the experience globally to major cities to attract high-potential tourists and investors to connect with the country.
The minister called on the corporate community to partner with the government to support initiatives that showcased the country's culture and creativity and appealed to Ghanaians to support the Black Star Experience and join the movement to promote Ghana's identity and culture to the world.
“To the Ghanaian public: Come out and support. Bring your families, your colleagues, your neighbours. This is our story, told through humour, inspiration and truth,” Ms Gomashie said.
She also invited business leaders to buy tickets for their staff, clients and partners, saying, “To our corporate community, we need you.”
First-ever play
Mr Abubakar described the new play as the “first-ever play that brings to the stage the Ghana story in full: who we are, what we have, and why the world must come to Ghana to experience and invest”.
He indicated that Ghana Must Go was not just another play but a flagship theatrical experience of “The Big Push Ghana Project” aimed at elevating the nation's visibility through culture-driven investment diplomacy.
The playwright emphasised the need for investment in the creative sector as it held a lot of potential in helping attract investors in other sectors of the economy.
“Creativity is no longer just about passion; it is about power, profit and progress.
If we truly believe in the power of our stories, we must do more than tell them.
We must sell them, protect them and build industries around them.
Mr Abubakar believes that if it was done well, Ghana would not only be known for cocoa, gold and oil but also for world-class theatre, globally acclaimed music, and a thriving creative economy that generates jobs, tells its story and drives general productivity.
Appeal
The CEO of Globe Productions appealed to corporate entities, development agencies and stakeholders in the creative sector to sponsor the project, locally and internationally.
“Buy tickets for your staff, clients, and partners, and turn them into cultural ambassadors of Ghana.
Let us take this bold story, our story, to the world stage together,” the playwright stated.
“Ghana Must Go is the beginning of a global journey.
With your partnership, we will use the power of theatre to open doors, build bridges and bring investment home,” Mr Abubakar stated.
