Kumawood movies are destroying the Akan culture - David Dontoh

Ace Ghanaian actor Mr. David Dontoh has whined scornfully at Kumawood movies, “they are destroying our movie industry and the Akan culture.”

Flex newspaper excerpted a recorded tape of an interview actor David Dontoh granted to Accra based radio station Prime 89.1 fm which is actually about Mr. Dontoh's take on the Kumawood movie industry. Mr. Dontoh's voice can be heard audibly remonstrating Kumawood films – movies produced in the Akan language or film makers in Kumasi (Ashanti region of Ghana). It was as though he was in a trance.

Though many movie critics believe Kumawood movies portray and sell our true Ghanaian culture than the English ones, Mr. Dontoh begs to differ. He harangued in the tape (unedited): “what they are rather doing is that they are not destroying the film industry but destroying Ghanaian culture! Destroying the values of Akan culture in their films!”

“Yeah its….the way you shoot the films….you don't…you don’t…. Portray or interpret or tell the Akan culture the way it must be told using proper universal film language, you understand? Agya Koo comes and stands there, I am not picking on him as an actor, he is an actor and A-list… He may not know the implications of what he does, but Agya Koo comes to stand and for 5 minutes he alone stands on the screen talking and keeps pacing back and forth and talking and the camera is on him. All that you are telling whoever is not a Ghanaian is is that, these people…. are they that erratic? Are they….don't they have what we call sense to talk something sensible to people! Is that how every Ghanaian behaves? In fact, a lot of people outside think that every Ghanaian is a comedian because that is what they have labeled our films, a comedian!” He added.

Dontoh continued, “why is it that the whole world everybody thinks that Americans are very powerful, disciplined and authoritative human beings? It's because of what they've seen Americans doing in films! You don't see an American and think that he is poor because they don't tell you that they are poor! What you tell them is the ideas they make about you, you understand? That is why I am saying that the Akan culture or the Ghanaian culture, traditions, customs, whatever, we have to advertise our culture and portray it well to those outside Ghana so that they can say that for instance if you go to Ghana you can't just pick a lady and marry her. In as much as you are telling a story, don't forget that there is always two sides of the coin.”

“There is always day and night, you understand? So if you are shooting a movie and wants to show the bad side of the person, compare it to the good side of the society, so that the person watching will now be able to make sensible logic of what you are doing by weighing the two sides. But you don't show only the bad side and make it look like that is how everybody or everything is, no! That is wrong. That is why I am saying that the Kumawood films, most of them are rather destroying not the film industry, but the Akan culture, the Ghanaian culture and then all those things!”

Touching on the crew behind Kumawood movies, Mr. Dontoh thinks Kumawood film makers don't use professionals. “Unfortunately, they are not using the right people who know how to make the film well in making those films. That is why in as much as they are destroying our culture, they are also destroying the industry because they are not using the universal film language in making the films.” Mr. David Dontoh heaved a deep sigh of relief as he brought his submission to an end.

Just 3 weeks ago, Ghana's promising actor Ekow Smith Asante also said similar things Mr. David Dontoh has said in the voice recording Flex newspaper have in our possession. Ekow said the Kumawood movie makers ignore everything that makes a good movie and only pay attention to the story lines based on themes like witchcraft and others, which people in Asankragua, Sefwi Wiaso, Yaw Wiaso and the rest love to watch.

Smith-Asante's comments, made on Joy FM's Rhythms A2Z, were originally targeted at the producers of the Kumawood movies; whom he said were only passionate about making money and not developing the creative arts. He definitely bit more than he could chew when he said the target market for those inferior movies are people who do not know jack about lighting, sound, good acting and other things and are also not ready to learn.

The nagging questions that are begging for answers are; why is the Accra or English oriented actors not criticising their movies too? Is it that they don't see anything wrong with the English movies? Is it that they are afraid of criticising their own? Can't they see their movie industry is dying at a speedy rate? Is it that the Accra based actors don't respect actors in Kumawood?

Are they trying to sabotage or blackmail the Kumawood industry? Well, whatever the reason may be, we live in a democratic dispensation, hence, we should agree to disagree without greed to grow Ghana's movie industry.