Veteran Ghanaian film producer Socrate Safo has opened up about one of his biggest regrets in his decades-long career; failing to properly preserve records of his works, including films that helped shape Ghana’s movie industry.
The filmmaker, who is credited with producing more than 100 movies, said he often feels a sense of guilt knowing that important parts of his creative journey were lost because he did not understand the importance of archiving his works in his early years.
Socrate Safo admitted that while many people today recognise him more as a social commentator, they often overlook his contributions as a producer.
This, he partly blames on his failure to properly document and promote the body of work he built over the years.
“I blame myself, I haven’t projected myself and my works well. I blame ignorance because I didn’t get that orientation from the beginning. I didn’t know to keep all these things for the future. I did not have the guidance to understand that films, scripts, posters and production documents would one day become important historical materials.”
He revealed that after coming to the realization, he attempted to gather copies of his works, but the effort came too late.
Socrate Safo believes the experience cements the need for creatives to take documentation and archiving seriously, ensuring that their contributions are preserved for future generations.
Despite the regret, he remains proud of his impact on Ghanaian cinema, having played a significant role in an era that helped establish local movie production as a major part of the country’s entertainment industry.
