Cinderella told in the African way

Accra, March 7, GNA - The National Theatre, Ghana and the National Touring Theatre of Sweden is to produce a film to highlight some of the challenges women and children go through particularly in Africa as well as finding solutions to them.

The project dubbed: "The African Cinderella" tells a story of how step children, especially suffer in second marriages. The story brings on board rich Ghanaian cultural heritage in areas of Proverbs, idioms, costume and palatial as well as rural settings to make individuals relate with it.

Efo Kojo Mawugbe, Artistic Director, National Theatre said the project was an artistic product meant for export and therefore would bring best experiences and characters to carry out the various themes: Self Esteem and woman empowerment and child abuse among others. "This project aims also at teaching and bring back lost values to the society", he added.

Efo Mawugbe noted that cast in the project were expected to speak three or more Ghanaian languages fluently. "A memorandum of understanding between the two countries has been signed and we hope to start the ball rolling by March 2, 2010 with a tour across the ten regions of the country aside some tour in Sweden, UK and some Anglophone countries, ".

Efo Mawugbe said there would be ten performances in every region, with community participation as a tool for discussion and debate, "we are collaborating with Plan International, MOWAC and the ministry of Chieftaincy and Culture among other to ensure it success. Mr Markwei Amartefio, consular of Sweden noted that the project was a door-opener to more partnership in the area of business and culture: "Cultural exchanges are very important in political and economic relationship".

He said it was another area of investment to the country which would attract investors, "I travel to Sweden once very year to patronize their theatre performances and I am looking for a day people from that country will also come just for cinema performances". Ms. Fransesca Quartey, Director of the Project noted it was using culture as a tool to finding answers to problems that women and children in particular faced.