Actors Guild calls on minister

Accra, May 18, GNA - An eight-member delegation from the Ghana Actors Guild led by its Chairman, Samuel Odoi Mensah has paid a courtesy call on the Minister of Chieftaincy and Culture, Mr Alexander Asum-Ahensah. A statement issued on Monday said the delegation was at the Ministry to formally welcome the minister to his new office and to discuss some of the challenges facing the industry and the way forward. Mr Mensah said the Actors Guild was the umbrella body of all professional actors in Ghana and its objective was to cater for the welfare of members and enhance professionalism in the film industry. He explained that since the formation of the Guild, members had had the opportunity to attend seminars and workshops to improve on their skills.

Mr Mensah said the Guild had been promoting Ghanaian culture at the local and international scene through the medium of their profession. Notwithstanding their achievements, however, he enumerated some of the challenges facing the industry and appealed to the minister to use his influence to address them.

Mr Mensah mentioned in particular the problem of piracy which is depriving the sector of the much needed revenue. He also spoke about the lack of sponsorship and funding from the financial sector for the film industry. Another area of concern was the poor patronage of Ghanaian films, which he attributed to the low level of media publicity. Mr Mensah appealed to the minister to revisit the issue of censorship of foreign films flooding the Ghanaian market to curtail the adulteration of the country's culture and values. The Guild also called on the minister to institute a Theatre Season in Ghana to promote the arts. Mr Mensah announced that plans were far advanced by the Guild to acquire a 40-acre land at Gomoa in the Central Region to build an Actors village.

The village, according to him, would be used as a resource centre for members and an income generating venture for the Association. He announced that a national congress of the Guild to elect new executive members would be held soon. Mr Asum-Ahensah acknowledged the important role of the Guild and the arts to national development and assured the delegation of government's support in addressing some of the challenges, particularly in the areas of piracy and sponsorship.

On the role of theatre promotion, the Minister announced that his Ministry was working with the European Union to give the Arts Sector, particularly the film industry, a boost. Mr Ahensah called for a collaborative effort on the part of all stakeholders to ensure a vibrant industry. The Chief Director of the Ministry Ms Emma Lilian Bruce-Lyle hinted that the Ministry was in the process of finalizing documents on the strategic plan for the sector to which all stakeholders would be invited to a workshop for discussions on its implementation. She tasked the Guild to always endeavour to portray professionalism in their work to sustain public interest. Ms Bruce-Lyle called for the revival of community theatres to whet public appetite in the industry. 18 May 09