African Movies: The bad and the ugly
Graphic Showbiz  September 6, - September 12,  2001

By Mawutodzi K. Abissath

NORMALLY, when a journalist defames a person through his writings, he assassinates the character of an individual. But when a television station screens a violent, obscene or an objectionable film to the public, it can be said to have committed moral genocide against society.

Ghana now has three major television stations based in Accra, the capital. For some time now, it has been observed with some concern that these stations have embarked on a kind of cold war to outdo one another in terms of competition to attract more viewers to their respective stations. And one of the strategies that has been adopted by the stations to win the viewership race is the introduction of "African Movies".

Initially, many film lovers thought that with the title "African Movies, "Ghanaians were going to be granted the privilege of watching films produced from various parts of Africa. It has turned out, however, that the so called "African Movies" being screened are made up of about 99.99 per cent Nigerian films.

Unfortunately, some of the Nigerian films being televised may be doing more harm than entertainment to the Ghanaian society. The Nigerian films that are shown are often full of superstition, fear, killings, removal of human hearts and genital organs, stealing with masked faces and guns. Why must Ghanaian stations televise such destructive and negative films as "African Movies?"

Some people are of the view that the recent upsurge in armed robbery in the country could be as a result of some of these films being screened on national television.

Other people blame television for the increasing student brutalities and vices in various second cycle institutions in the country; while others still attribute the waywardness of their teenage girls and boys to obscene and immoral films on television.

As a matter of fact, it is alleged that some of these Nigerian films being televised in Ghana can never be shown on Nigerian television because of their subject matter. Are Ghanaian television stations therefore sacrificing the morality of the Ghanaian society on the altar of cheap and inferior African movies?

This writer has learnt that the government is considering a review of the Draft Film Policy for the benefit of the nation. While the government is taking this and other necessary measures to revamp the film industry, this writer wishes to appeal to the conscience of television stations to consider the future of Ghana and use their judgments to televise films that will be generally acceptable to the Ghanaian society.

There was a time when GTV screened some very good Ghanaian films. In fact, there was a particular programme called Time With NAFTI by which films produced by students of the National Film and Television Institute were shown on GTV and the people of Ghana loved them. What I happened to such a wonderful programme?

For the benefit of the television stations there have been a number of very good African films that have been featured at FESPACO, some of which have won various awards including Ghana's own Kwaw Ansah's Love Brewed in the African Pot and Heritage Africa. Ironically, Nigeria is one African country which is yet to win the highest film award at FESPACO. So what criteria are the television stations in Ghana using to classify Nigerian films as “African Movies?”

A scene in the "Love Brewed in the African Pot" A FESPACO  Award winning Ghanaian film.

NB: This article was first published by the Graphic Showbiz in 2001. abissath@gmail.com