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As part of its efforts to promote the photography industry as well as cultural and creative arts, Remex Ghana Limited, a Digital Media and Communication agency has initiated an award scheme to honour photographers for their work.
The award scheme dubbed: “Grand Pixels” is aimed at recognizing outstanding photographers in Ghana in order to celebrate the commitment and contributions they have made to the development of the country.
In a press statement issued and copied to the Ghana News Agency, Mr Dyck Antwi Kesse, the Project Lead described the awards as the ideal platform to celebrate the very people whose efforts put the country on the history map and continually enhance its image through the art of photography.
“The awards are about more than accolades, plaques or wins. They are a celebration of photography in Ghana as a whole, its triumphs, progress, and the critical role it plays for businesses and for national and cultural projection," he said.
He said photographers all over the world have evolved from just taking photos to becoming some of the most powerful people, adding that, it had moved from the "dark room" to an expanse field of narrating moving stories in society.
He stressed that the creative commitment of photographers and the experience they accumulate had shaped and pushed the present picture Ghana enjoyed in the world.
"It is for this reason that the most deserving photographers will be honoured. Not just for their ingenuity and hard work but perseverance towards advertising Ghana to the world" he emphasized.
The statement further noted that the awards would initiate an all-encompassing project that would include educational workshops for amateur photographers and filmmakers.
It said the workshop would also be an opportunity for renowned experts in the field to share their knowledge and experience with amateur photographers and individuals who desired to build a career in the photography profession.
According to the statement, Mr Derrick Edwards, the Awards Coordinator, commended the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts for its effort to uplift Ghana’s image through its various programmes that strived to promote the country’s cultural heritage and historical monuments to the rest of the world.
It said he, however, urged the Ministry to take critical look at the photography industry and institute policies that would protect indigenous photography and Film works.
“Photography as an art has cultural dimensions, which encompass various aspects of life that reinforces people’s appreciation of life and promotes a sense of unity and friendship”.
“A lot has been accomplished by our forebears and it’s up to us to protect and sustain the rich information they’ve gathered through photography”, he said.
Mr Steve Ababio, President of the Association of Professional Photographers Ghana (APPG) also stated that celebrating the art of photography in Ghana was long overdue and expressed excitement on the tremendous value it would add to the photography industry.
He commended the organisers for initiating such an award and praised photographers for impacting positively on national development, as well as other aspects of life across the country through the profession.
The maiden edition of the awards and exhibition is partnered by APPG and is slated for December 7, 2019. It would feature a Lifetime Achievement honour to be awarded to Mr James Barnor, the first Ghanaian photographer to produce colour photographs, it stated.
