Ghanaian playwright Chief Moomen, has suggested that the government considers building proposed theatres and studios in academic institutions.
According to him, if this is done, the institutions would be able to manage such facilities better than political appointees.
He made this statement on Joy FM‘s Showbiz A-Z on Saturday while discussing ways of projecting the arts industry through activism.
“They should be built for established institutions and given to them to manage because management of the facility and how you deploy it to the benefit of the ecosystem. If the government decides to have theatres in the various regions they should rather do it in the institutions,” he told the host Kwame Dadzie.
Asked if the institutions would be able to better manage the facilities, he answered in the affirmative.
“At least better than the government bureaucracy,” Chief said.
The ‘Mansa World’ playwright added there is a ready constituency that will use those facilities and generate money for the industry.
The government has on a number of occasions promised to build theatres for the arts industry. In the 2020 Manifesto of the ruling New Patriotic Party, the government promised to provide theatres in Kumasi, Takoradi and Tamale.
They government in recent times has also announced plans to built 5 amphi-theatres across the country. In the meantime, one of such theatres is under construction in Kumasi.
On 27th July, 2017, Mark Okraku-Mantey said government would set up an ultra-modern music studio where musicians could master their songs. In the 2020 NPP Manifesto, the government promised to establish large recording studios in Accra, Kumasi, Tamale and Takoradi.
Later on February 25, 2021, the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Awal Mohammed mentioned the government had allocated $20 million for the construction of film and music studios. He said this when he met the Appointment Committee of Parliament for his vetting.
Another promise on the studios was made in June, 2022, when the National Film Authority announced that it had signed a landmark partnership agreement with Pixel Ray Studios LLC which would lead to the construction of a full-service, world-class film studio in West Africa.
To cap it all, last year, the Deputy Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mark Okraku-Mantey, said his Ministry was in talks with American film company, Tyler Perry Studios to provide a studio facility in Ghana.
These are among the litany of things that stakeholders of the creative industry are looking forward to be done for them.
Source: Ghana News
