Actors urged to be professional, transparent in activities

Accra, July 27, GNA - Professor George Hagan, Chairman of the National Commission on Culture (NCC) on Wednesday urged the Ghana Actors Guild to be professional and transparent in their activities. " Let us not turn the associations into a visa contracting agency but rather work for the betterment of our members" Professor Hagan was speaking at the launching of the Ghana Actors Guild Awards 2006 in Accra.

The first ever actors initiated awards was on the theme: " The Actors Value - Growing Business Through Entertainment" was to honour and recognize the contributions of Ghanaian actors and actresses to country's film industry.

He urged the association to guard against mediocrity in the profession and aspire to be the best on the continent. " Actors are powerful people for nation building but unfortunately in Ghana we tend to glorify mediocrity"

Prof. Hagan said work was progressing steadily on all the various regional theatres and assured that by next year, theatre performances around the country would increase.

"It is my desire that Actors Guild gain the highest achievement in the country," he said.

Prof Hagan also proposed that the association be given a certain per cent out of the Commission's retention money to run its activities. He called on the Guild to put in place a scheme to support its members, who were in distress rather than see them die in poverty. Nii Kpobi Tettey Tsuru III, La Mantse, urged the young and upcoming actors to be original and more professional and stop imitating foreign cultures that were not Ghanaian oriented.

He bemoaned the poor state of the Ghanaian film industry, which he said had lost its groove for some years now.

"Time was when indigenous Ghanaian films like "I told you so" and others were house hold names in most of the Anglo African countries," he said

He urged members of the association to be opened to criticisms, for it builds up good results, adding that, regardless of how best you try, some people would have different opinions to which they were entitled to. "This rather should strengthen you," he added.

Mr Samuel Nii Odoi Mensah, President of the Ghana Actors Guild paid glorying tribute to the past leaders of the association for braving the odds to ensure its existence.

He said the success of the awards would not only bring honour, recognition and value to the Ghanaian actor but also pose a challenge for the excellence that came naturally with such competitions. An appeal for funds by the Guild yielded over 40 million cedis, whiles a plaque, which would be presented to the award winners, was unveiled at the ceremony.