Slavery may be over but the proxies are still here – CEO, National Film Authority

The Chief Executive Officer of the National Film Authority, Juliet Yaa Asantewaa Asante has revealed that Africa, and more specifically Ghana, has been placed under a mindset that has served as a key blockade to the advancements of Ghanaian made contents beyond the state.

Speaking at the Return Conversation, a creative arts dialogue which took place at the Accra International Conference Center, she made a candid acknowledgment of Ghana’s efforts to celebrate emancipation and independence of Africa.

The acclaimed the film director mentioned that this has been as a result of the constant dependence of the average African on the colonial masters which was imbibed into the African mind by the latter. She touted this mind set as mind games that are still being played decades after independence.

She noted that Africans, more particularly Ghanaians, must begin to probe deeper into the mediums of information, one of these key mediums she mentioned were movies which have been made official sources of information for Ghana. “We as Ghanaians have been emancipated but our minds have been holding on to what was given to us during the days of our colonial masters.

Asante relayed that Ghanaians must come together and change the narrative by replacing the mediums with what is Ghanaian. “Parents should encourage their kids by representing what is Ghanaian; our movies, our games, our books. All these mediums are capable of changing the narrative.”

The Return Conversation was hosted by Ghana Tourism Authority and Beyond The Return under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture. It focused on the role of music and film play in uniting the African continent. The event was coupled with the exhibition of rich Ghanaian culture and detailed accounts of the creative arts industry in strategic dialogue.

By: Kobina Baidoo