Government delegation paid a courtesy call on Chiefs who donated lands for the building of a Film Village in the Ashanti Region.
In an interview on Kasapa Entertainment, Abro, PRO for Film Producers Association of Ghana [FIPAG] told award-winning entertainment show host, Kojo Preko Dankwa, the delegation paid a visit to Nana Agyemang Badu Dua I, Chief of Kunsu and other chiefs who gifted the Arts industry a land to site the Film Village in Kumasi.
“The Minister came to Kumasi for two reasons; one reason wasn’t about FIPAG but the other was about a visit to the site for the proposed film village.”
Members of the delegation were the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Hon. Barbara Oteng Gyasi, Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Dr Ziblim Barri Iddi, Kwadwo Odame Antwi, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Tourism Development Company, Creative Arts Council Members.
“We thank our brothers, Socrate Safo and Mark Okraku Mantey for their contributions so far. The Minister discussed so many issues with us and assured us that the Film Village will be done,” Abro said on Kasapa Fm
Explaining Government’s initial statement acquiring 200 acres of land in the Eastern Region for the film village, the FIPAG PRO disclosed that the statement was misconstrued by the media.
“We [FIPAG] realised that there was a miscommunication about the siting of the Film Village in the Eastern Region after going through the document the delegations showed to us,” Abro told Kojo Preko Dankwa
According to the FIPAG PRO, the document revealed that the Film Village will be built in Kumasi and a Film Cultural Centre will be established in the Eastern Region.
The FIPAG PRO claimed the cause of miscommunication should be blamed on the media for seeking answers from ordinary individuals who have no details about the siting of the film village.
He disclosed that Nana Agyemang Badu Dua I, Chief of Kunsu in the Ashanti Region and husband to actress Mercy Asiedu has given three hundred [300] acres of land to the Government of Ghana for the project.
Abro added that Nana Agyemang Badu Dua I added seven hundred [700] acres of land to the 300 making a total of one thousand acres [1,000] of land for the film village and other creative arts projects.
According to Abro, the Sekyerehene, Offinsohene and Nana Wiafe also promised to add more acres of lands for other creative arts projects.
The Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Hon. Barabara Oteng Gyasi also promised the Executive of FIPAG to do everything within a means to halt the showing of foreign contents on Television screens.
“We’ve had enough lands for the projects. The minister promised us that she will do everything within her space to stop the showing of foreign contents on television and replace them with local Contents.
“She also told us about an ongoing negotiation between her Ministry and a bank to give loans to creative arts stakeholders to help boost their work.” Abro stated
The FIPAG PRO urged media to propagate the right information and also help to get the Film Act passed into law to help establish a Secretariat for the National Film Authority.
Reacting to the Film Village issue discussed by the PRO for FIPAG, Frank Kwabena Owusu popularly known as Franky 5, a member of the delegation told Kojo Preko Dankwa, all issues about the project discussed with FIPAG Executive are suggestions to be considered and not to be taken as the final approval by all stakeholders of the Arts industry.
“The Minister, Deputy and other delegations expressed interest to meet with the new FIPAG executive.”
Franky 5 disclosed that the land as discussed with the Chiefs will purposely be used as a Creative Arts Village which will also feature the Film Village.
“We also met with the two Chiefs who donated acres of land for the building of CREATIVE ARTS VILLAGE of which FILM VILLAGE plays a large role in there.
“Creative Arts Village will encompass a lot of the arms under the arts sectors. It will be right to call it Creative Arts Village than a Film Village.”
According to him, there were suggestions that the Government should build a Cultural Village in the Eastern Region and build a module of a Film Village in Kumasi.
“The discussion about the Cultural Village in the Eastern Region and the Film Village in Kumasi will be deliberated over by stakeholders before final approval.” He added
In a move to boost the creative arts industry, the government has announced plans to establish a Creative Arts Village which would also be the hub of filmmaking for the struggling industry.
