Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr. Frank Amoakohene, has revealed that he discovered “destructive competition” within the Kumawood industry when he assumed office, a challenge he said was stifling collaboration and growth.
Speaking at the maiden National Film Dialogue in Accra on Tuesday, September 16, Dr. Amoakohene said he quickly formed a committee to revive the local film industry and reposition it to boost the creative sector in the region.
“I say that one of the key things that put Ashanti Region on the map is the creatives, artistes, rich eco-tourism centres and our culture. From the word go, I didn’t waste time in ensuring that we fixed some of the challenges in this sector.
“I realised that the industry was full of destructive competition instead of having a complementary collaboration to project the Kumawood industry,” he explained.
The Minister noted that on several occasions he personally attended meetings to help unite stakeholders, stressing that with the support of the Tourism Minister and the National Film Authority, many of the industry’s problems were resolved.
According to him, these interventions culminated in one of the best performances during the Ashantifest celebrations and led to the establishment of the Kumawood Ashanti Film Industry Secretariat.
“It is a robust secretariat now to mentor, groom and embark on projects that will tell our story well, project our culture and be able to promote our region and country,” he added.
Dr. Amoakohene also proposed that Ghanaian films should be made freely accessible to Senior High School students to cultivate early interest in local content.
“As we also work on generating revenue, one key thing that has come up is that we need to invest. Most of the young ones, especially those in SSS and downwards, are losing touch with our local content and that is one area we should put emphasis on.
“At that level, we can offer it to them for free, so that they will get addicted to the local content. Once they get to the university where they can pay the 20 cedis or 50 cedis, we can chase them there because by then, they are already addicted to the local content,” he suggested.
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Source: graphic.com.gh
