We didn’t build our movie industry on govt so why now - Majid Michel on calls for support

Celebrated Ghanaian actor, Majid Michel, has said that the ‘dwindling’ movie industry does not need the support of the government to revitalize it because the industry was built with no support from the government.

The actor who seems to have a contrary view from his colleague actress and producer, Yvonne Nelson, who has time and again called on successive governments to invest in the entertainment industry with the most recent being the collation of signatures by her from stakeholders in the movie industry to petition government over the difficulties facing the Ghanaian movie business.

Yvonne Nelson said in her letter to the stakeholders that “We have heard some of our own on countless occasions slamming the industry for its decline with the favourite words ‘Ghana movie industry is dead’. It is quiet disturbing to hear these words being uttered when asked about our industry. A once well-structured industry with lots of entertainment to give cannot, and will not be abandoned for it to be ruined."

"We aim to present a petition to the President and the Minister of Tourism, Creative arts and Culture citing the difficulties facing us in the industry. We want to bring unity to all industry players, we aim to uplift the Ghana movie industry again for the better by making sure there is allocation of special funds for producers, right payment structures for all involved in the industry especially the thespians, royalties and its right disbursement, local content being the major viewers’ choice on our networks and allocation of cinema halls in five major regions across the country."

But Majid Michel is of the view that the solution lies in the movie industry revisiting its old ways rather than rallying for government’s support.

He made the statement in an interview with Hammer Nti on Kumasi-based Pure FM’s ‘Hammer Time’ entertainment program.

“We built this industry without the support from government so why now especially when they (Governments) have expressed less interest in this area over and over again…We need to go back to doing the things we were doing right in those days."

"Yvonne is my friend and I signed her petition but I told her my view regardless. The question is are they interested? Hammer, the solution lies in us and not them,” he told host, Hammer Nti.

Watch an excerpt of the interview below. Video Credit: Hammer Time YouTube page: