Your gov’t has done nothing for movie industry - Lydia Forson jabs Otchere-Darko

Lydia Forson has taken a swipe at Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, after he said he felt disappointed with some Ghanaian movies he watched.

The actress described as unfortunate, that Mr Otchere-Darko, who is a leading member of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), will criticise an industry the government has failed to support. 

“So, Mr. @GabbyDarko our problem isn’t that we don’t want to be criticized; it’s the condescension and simplification of a very complex issue, one your government promised to help with but has so far done NOTHING about”, she said in a tweeted.

She added that: “The few creatives who manage to stay have to learn the hard way that it lacks structure, funding and the right professionals for the job; and so they’re forced to cut corners, underpay people etc just to make something presentable.”

Mr Otchere-Darko ruffled some feathers after he said in a post on Facebook that he felt disheartened after watching 10 random Ghanaian movies.

“I took my time to watch randomly ten Ghanaian movies and never felt so disappointed. It brought home to me one major deficiency in our development. The apparent lack of deliberate consciousness on the part of the creative industry in the development conversation,” he said in the post.

Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko

Asare Otchere-Darko noted that “The presence of the creative industry appears at best peripheral in Ghana’s development narrative. Our movies, our songs, our arts, by and large, do not impactfully plug into a greater development agenda.”

Those comments did not go down well with some industry persons including Yvonne Nelson, Adjetey Anang, Kafui Danku Lydia Forson“I took my time to watch randomly ten Ghanaian movies and never felt so disappointed. It brought home to me one major deficiency in our development. The apparent lack of deliberate consciousness on theYvonne Nelson said that if the high ranking member of the NPP says he is disappointed with Ghanaian movies, she is also equally disappointed in him.

The actress, in a post on Twitter, asked, “Hello @GabbyDarko is your [post on Facebook] real?? If it is I’m also disappointed! A few of us are pushing really hard for this industry! Since our leaders have also totally abandoned the industry, we contribute too, just like nurses, doctors..etc”.

“A majority lack very little knowledge about our industry and how it works; it’s why you’re quick to jump on the bandwagon. 99.9% of the content you watched is created by people who beg for loans, sell their property etc just to create what you call crap,” Lydia Forson also said in a tweet.

Clarifying his post, Mr Otchere-Darko, who is a confidante of President Nana Addo Dankwa-Akufo Addo, said “I hope I have provoked a healthy debate. It is not meant to denigrate but rather to generate a discussion about using entertainment more for development, social justice and education.”He explained further that, “There are many Ghanaian celebrities who use their influence in a positive way to promote a cause and we celebrate them. We saw many Ghanaian celebrities stepping out onto the streets during the pitch darkness of Dumsor to protest and we celebrated their activism.”

“The debate I seek to provoke, however, is that we do not have enough filmmakers, musicians, etc, using their films or music, etc, to promote social justice, educate and entertain or to plug into a greater consciousness, like the theme Ghana Beyond Aid. How do we define that theme of consciousness that has resonated across the globe to effect change in our society and beyond? How do we use our creativity to change the mindset of our people from a culture of dependency and inadequacy to one of a confident AFRICA and Africans united in knowledge of their value and ready to push harder and smarter ahead? That is not to say those leading our creative industry are not good or brilliant in what they do. No!” he added.