SPOKEN word artist and arts advocate, Oswald Okaitei, believes Ghana's creative industry has become a place where success depends more on "who knows you" than raw talent or hard work.
According to him, many talented creatives struggle for years without support. They often have to pay for their own projects and even offer free services just to get noticed. Ironically, they only receive recognition after they have passed on.
In an interview with Graphic Showbiz on Tuesday, July 7, Oswald said the biggest problem facing the creative industry is not lack of talent but a system that favours connections instead of merit.
“There is no support in the creative space. It's not even about whom you know anymore; it's about who knows you.”
“If you approach institutions for support, it often feels like they are doing you a favour because they know you. It shouldn't be that way. Once you qualify, you should be able to access support without begging,” he said.
To explain his point, Oswald shared the story of well-known visual artist Sharon Padiki, a Guinness World Record title holder, who died a few hours before this interview.
He said she struggled for years because no one paid attention to her work and there were times she attended events without the basic tools she needed because she had no support. She even offered free services just to build a name for herself.
However, after she won an international world record award, many of the same people who had ignored her suddenly wanted to be associated with her success.
"People knew her worth, but what did they do to help build her brand?" he asked.
Okaitei said this is the reality for many creatives in Ghana, who often have to fund their own productions because there is little support.
He mentioned himself, Nana Asaase and Chief Moomen as examples of creatives who regularly raise their own money to organise productions and are hit with huge taxes.
“The system is such that if you organise a programme with your own money, they come after you with huge taxes. Where is the money to pay? What is the system doing to support us?”
“There are many creatives who die poor, not because they were irresponsible, but because the system failed them."
He added that many people still see creatives only as entertainers instead of professionals who contribute to the country's economy and development and that is why national programmes such as the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP) don’t even make provisions for creatives.
Comparing Ghana to other countries, Okaitei said musicians elsewhere can release one successful song and earn from it for years, but in Ghana, even hitmakers often struggle financially.
"In other parts of the world, a musician can release one song and live off it for years. Here, you can release back-to-back hits, die poor and people will still blame the creative."
His comments come at a time when Ghanaian filmmaker Socrate Safo has also called on creatives in government to move beyond talking about the industry's challenges and focus on solving them.
In an open letter shared on facebook, Socrate said the problems facing the creative industry, including poor funding, weak copyright protection, piracy and lack of investment, have been discussed for years.
What the sector now needs, he said, is strong leadership and practical action.
