We do not need the White man to validate us as Africans – Ebo Whyte

Renowned playwright and CEO of Roverman Productions, Ebo Whyte says the African can do well enough, given the right space, without the white man’s seal of endorsement.

He says it is the reason all of his plays are set in and grounded on Ghanaian stages.

In his view, he does not think that “we need to give them (the white man) that authority over what we can do.”

But that is only one reason for his deep commitment to keeping his art home; the other being that he is, “committed to building a platform so strong that we’ll have people buying tickets to come here (Ghana) to watch a show.” The idea is not unheard of, as many well-to-do locals purchase tickets to catch shows on Broadway and West End.

Ebo Whyte’s realism and desire to attract tourists to Ghana with his plays is very applause-worthy in an industry where success is easily marked by how much Europeanism one can sample into a work.

In fact, he looks forward to creating art that is vibrant enough to compete internationally, instead of getting a nod by them.

"If I’m going to travel, there must be an invitation from the ground, from a very credible, reputable organization,” he emphasized as the only condition on which he would take his works abroad.

“I am not going to hustle at an embassy,” he added.

All of this was revealed to Ghanaweb in an interview.

Mr Whyte is set to stage a one-man comedy show this September. After being behind the scenes for 10 years, he will reveal another side of him by serving patrons two hours of stand-up comedy all by himself.