#PODCAST>>Episode 33: Pan-African Film & Media: Towards an African Personality, or a Conversation with Pascal Aka; JOT Agyeman; and Elijah Iposu

EPISODE #33
Research & Co-ordination: E.K.Bensah Jr
Executive Producer: E.K.Bensah Jr

"Dear friends,

We used the thirty-third edition of the Africa in Focus show to take a look at Pan-African Film, and Media.

We spoke to one of the upcoming Ghanaian film directors Pascal Aka, who returned to Ghana four years ago, and is bringing his Canada-trained film-making to bring quality to bear on Ghanaian film--as evidenced by his plaudits for the 2014 film "Double Cross". He urges those within the movie industry to consider the international context, and start writing stories that transcend the local context.

Aka believes we need our Ghanaian film industry to move beyond what he believes are essentially glorified "Akan dramas".

ETV Ghana's JOT Agyemang, a former actor himself, is a seasoned script-writer, having written scripts for Yvonne Okoro; and half-way through a script about the overthrow of Nkrumah (a project that has taken him some two years to write). But JOT is also someone who has turned down a lot of Ghanaian film scripts on account of poor quality. 

He believes so-called nomenclature of "Ghallywood"; and "Nollywood" are unnecessary, as it is divorced from the reality of quality film. Kumawood, in his view, is not film, but "concert party ofn video", though it serves a purpose.

Finally, Homebase TV Ghana's Elijah Iposu, a producer and director, encourages Ghanaians and Nigerians to get back to what our fathers in Nkrumah did by bringing together both Ghanaian and Nigerian film-makers to learn from each other to take Pan-African film to even greater heights, especially at a time Nollywood films are making international waves. 

He encourages Ghanaian film-makers to reduce the "raw" content of their films, so that we can make good movies for Africa, and make money for producers. Even more importantly, we need, in his view, to get to the stage where we can tell a witchcraft story, like Harry Potter, and go beyond ridicule of some of the Kumawood renditions of the same theme!

On the 49th commemoration of Dr.Nkrumah, we had a particularly-entertaining conversation that brought reflections on cinematography; film; media; production; and direction; and infused it with a Pan-African feel.

Please find below a link to the podcast of the full edition of 24 February edition of "Africa in Focus": 
https://www.dropbox.com/s/27ruhvpwjgnk27p/AFRICA%20IN%20FOCUS%20%2024-02-15.mp3?dl=0


We look forward to comments!

In solidarity!"
Emmanuel""

COMING UP!>>Episode 33: "Towards an African Personality: Has Ghanaian Film, & Media Come of Age?"

33rd Edition:  

Towards an African Personality: Has Ghanaian Film & Media Come of Age?

24 February 2015 is forty-nine years since who is arguably the greatest Pan-Afri can that ever lived – Ghana’s own Osagyefo Dr.Kwame Nkrumah – was overthrown. Instead of using the thirty-third edition of the Show talking about the coup, we, instead, want to use it to reflect on an important component of the “African personality” – that of Film, and Media.

We are happy to be having this conversation on this day in the special month of February, where we not only celebrate chocolates in Ghana and love worldwide, but Martin Luther King day in the United States; and, even more relevant for today’s show, the US-based Pan-African Film Festival. The Festival – considered by the LA Times in 2013 as “the largest black film festival” in the United States – has had both universal and Africa themes: “the overthrow of colonial governments, the clash between modern values and traditional values, and tales of gifted artists.”

This year’s Pan African Film Festival that spot lighted various films from Nigeria ended with a bang showing more Nollywood films. This spotlight edition which is part of the Project ACT Nollywood Nigeria initiative have made it possible for films from Nigeria, made by Nigerians home and abroad to be shown to the world. Films include detective thriller October 1 by Kunle Afolayan, Invasion 1897 by Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen, LAPD African Cops by Pascal Atuma.

In LAPD African cops, two West African cops in America, who have both recently earned their U.S. citizenship, decide they want to join the Los Angeles Police Department. There’s little tolerance for one of the officers so he’s paired with his fellow countryman, but instead of executing their duties in compliance with LAPD regulations they use their African culture to dictate the rules. Not surprisingly, the Officers are…Officer Naija and Officer Ghana.

If this speaks to anything, it probably serves to remind us of the necessity of both Ghana and Nigeria coalescing to add greater quality to Africa’s film industry! But, then, there is the Media we need to talk about: how far are media houses, such as Global Media Alliance & Homebase TV, come in realizing Pan-African aspirations of a truly Pan-African media?

Join us if you can at 1pm on 24 February, 2015.

Guiding questions

• How instrumental is the director in the making of a successful movie?
• How close are Homebase TV, and ETV Ghana to the realization of a “Pan-African Media” power-house?
• Can we get to the stage where Nollywood & Ghallywood can have a meeting of minds on using film, and media, to project African culture?
• With the likes of Pascal Aka, can it be argued that Ghana & Nigeria have arrived towards the realization of some kind of “African personality”? There is proximity; and cultural similarities!

Guests in the studio:

Ø  Pascal Acka, award-winning movie director/director of “Double Cross”(2014)

Ø  Iposu , Homebase TV

Ø  J.O.T Agyemang , General Manager, ETV Ghana

On the line:

• Mrs.Catherine Appiah-Pinkrah, Director, Ministry of Defence @13h20