Film producers rise against telenovelas
Foreign soap operas, or telenovelas as they are also known by, have become extremely popular on our tevision screens and the Film Producers Association of Ghana (FIPAG) is not enthused about it at all.
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The association has, therefore, planned to demonstrate against the imported programmes on Thursday, September 14, in Kumasi.
The members will later present a petition to the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, to champion their case for them.
The lament against foreign content on our screens has been going on for years but now stakeholders are rising up even as television channels’ reliance on the cheaply-acquired Mexican and Indian soaps to attract viewers has reached peak levels.
Public Relations Officer of FIPAG, Rosaline Osei, said in an interview that the recent practice of dubbing telenovelas into local languages had adversely affected many fillmmakers in this country.
“ Local movies are not selling as much as before. The audience that patronises our movies have been captured by the telenovelas. They definitely would not spend money on something they are getting for free on television,” the FIPAG official said.
“Our concern is that if the telenovelas are in the Mexican or Hindi languages, then they should be maintained as such. Why should they be dubbed in our local language when we have equally good local content?” she asked
The FIPAG Public Relations Officer questioned government’s committment to advancing the creative arts industry and enjoined the relevant national bodies to up their game.
The demonstration is expected to be supported by several Kumawood film actors.
It will start from the Centre for National Culture through the principal streets of Kumasi to the Manhyia Palace where the protestors will present a petition to the Asantehene.