Actress supports ban on telenovelas

Popular Ghanaian actress Christiana Awuni has said she backs calls for government to place an ‘embargo’ on the broadcast of telenovelas from airing on local television stations, arguing that they pose as a threat to the movie industry.

She disclosed that it is even more shameful when such telenovelas, especially those from India, are translated into Twi language to woo patrons into getting hooked.

Speaking on Entertainment Capital on Accra100.5FM, the actress told show host Bismark Boachie (DJ Premier) that the invasion of the telenovelas on Ghanaian television was killing the local film industry.

The actress stated that television stations which show these series with the aim of entertaining their viewers were making things difficult for actors and movie producers in the country.

She added that TV stations pay higher amount of money to movie producers who submit these soap operas to them than those who present local movies.

“Which Indian will come and purchase a Ghanaian movie and take it back to India and translate it into Hindi? It won’t happen. So this means we do not even respect ourselves because it means we value their movies and telenovelas more than we do ours. That is why we spend money to bring those movies into the country to destroy our movie industry,” she lamented.

Continuing, she added, “Women are addicted to it and instead of cooking for their husbands, they don’t, which has led to many divorces. I will support government to place an embargo on them. Their culture is not our culture and they are destroying our work as movie makers.”

She advised that if Ghanaians were not enjoying Ghanaian movies because they perceived it as substandard, then stakeholders, including television stations, would need to invest in the industry to make it better and stop showing telenovelas.