Movie industry demonstrates against telenovelas

Stakeholders in the Movie industry have currently hit the principal streets of Kumasi to register their displeasure at what they describe as the airing of too many foreign movies on television to the detriment of the local movie industry.

A procession of popular movie stars, directors, writers, producers, technical crew and many others clad in red t-shirts with the inscription, ‘Y’ammamer3 3yera, y33 gye Y’ade3’ meaning we are taking back our neglected tradition started from the Kumasi Cultural Center, holding placards with many inscriptions.

Some of the writings on the placards read, ’70/3o for local movies’, ‘promote our culture and stop promoting Indian culture’ and ‘too much foreign content among others.

The Film Producers Association of Ghana (FIPAG), the brain behind this demonstration says telenovelas have become extremely popular on Ghanaian television screens hence the demonstration to speak against it.

The procession which started from the Centre for National Culture, moved through the principal streets of Kumasi to the Manhyia Palace where the protestors presented a petition to the Asantehene.

In a petition to the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, FIPAG stated that “the current influx of diverse telenovela programs on our national screens affect the progress of the local movie industry of our beloved nation, Ghana, as well as, have bad repercussions on the Akan culture”.

The petition also said public sexual acts and plays in foreign telenovelas, like kissing and fondling with the opposite sex, should not be entertained, especially when such programs are shown at a time when kids are home.

“We vehemently believe that if nothing is done to mitigate the rise of these foreign folktales, drama and love series which use our native languages to sell their contents to viewers, then few years to come, no cultural setting and kingdom in Ghana can boast of its unique culture imbibed in the richness of our local languages” read the petition.

Another demonstration has been planned for the Greater Accra region to target Parliament and other policy makers.