Cinematography Act 1961 can't control spate of distasteful films

Accra, June 2, GNA=96Mr Alex Asum Ahensah, Minister of Chieftaincy and Culture, on Thursday said Cinematography Act 1961 (Act 76) would be amended to bring sanity in the film industry. He said the law as it stands now cannot control the spate of indecency= , pornography, violence in films as well as culturally unacceptable films shown in public cinema, video theatres and on television. According to him, the legislation had been outdone by improvement in the technology of film production and exhibition through the use of compute= r and the internet. Mr Ahesah who said this on the floor of Parliament when he appeared to answer questions also noted that the Ministry relied on the agencies mandated to enforce the regulations which guide both public and private broadcasting stations, media houses and producers and most especially importers of films to safeguard Ghanaian values and national interest. He said the agencies include the Ghana Cinematograph Exhibition Board of Control under the Ministry of Information, the Media Commission and the Ghana Police Service.

Mr Ahensah said during the Third Parliament, a new bill was passed but did not receive Presidential Assent because certain amendments proposed by the House affected the import of the Bill. There is an indication from the Ministry of Information in response to public out cry that a new bill will be laid before Parliament soon to ensur= e that films that are shown on the screens are not only decent and acceptable but also in consonance with the government's desire to ensure public decency, discipline and protecting the youth. He said the Ministry was concerned about the proliferation of pornographic material via the Internet and sale of pornographic films on Digital Versatile Disc and Video Compact Disc on the open market as well as magazines and newspapers on the Newsstands.

The Ministry in its cultural policy recognizes the importance of the audio-visual media, especially a virile film industry as an indispensable tool not only for cultural production but as a means of education, information dissemination and entertainment and will therefore collaborate and support the enactment of appropriate regulations to protect and safeguard the values and national interests. He called for concerted effort in collaboration with the Ministry of Information, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Interior and the Ministry o= f Tourism and other stakeholders to promote decency in society.

While it is important that the mandated Agencies are empowered to effectively and efficiently discharge their functions, parents, religious organizations and society at large have the collective responsibility to support the government in diverse ways to minimize extensively the indecenc= y and the other social vices through exposure of pornographic and crime related films and other materials.