Kill “Pull Him Down” syndrome in arts—Nana Fredua
THE Board Chairman of the National Theatre, Nana Fredua Agyeman Ofori-Atta, has appealed to creative arts players to unite and fight for the collective good of the sector.
According to Nana Fredua, even though the sector had huge prospects financially, its players were yet to fully experience the benefits because of what is commonly referred to as the “Pull Him Down” syndrome and disunity.
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Speaking at the launch of the new season of Concert Party at the National Theatre on Tuesday, June 18, Nana Fredua said it was important for players in the creative arts to demand value for their craft but that could only be achieved through a collective effort.
“One of the problems of the arts is that there is no unity driving the sector’s relevance. As such, when the few want to demand what is due them, they are undermined and that has not helped the growth of the industry.
“Thus, it is about time creative arts players placed value on what they have and demand that in payment. This should not be the agenda of a few individuals but all who want the sector to achieve its purpose,” Nana Fredua stated.
Nana Fredua was speaking in reference to how some popular entertainers who diligently served the country with their talents, had nothing to show for it and died poor.
He was, however, thankful that Concert Party had been revived to discover and offer hope to young talents.
“The likes of Akrobeto, Agya Koo and Mercy Asiedu are all products of Concert Party but unfortunately, the Ghanaian elite will underrate Concert Party because they perceive it to be below their class.
“That should not be the case because apart from providing entertainment, it will also create many jobs for those in the sector,” Nana Fredua stated.
The launch also saw the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the National Theatre and the Multimedia Group as partners for the Concert Party and in her speech, the Executive Director of the National Theatre, Mrs Amy Appiah Frimpong, lauded the partnership.
According to her, the reintroduction of Concert Party was in line with her outfit’s strategic plan of becoming the beacon for performing arts in Ghana.
“Concert Party has always featured in the National Theatre’s programming over the past 20 years but today, we are breathing new life into it by signing a MOU with Multimedia to promote Concert Party and other programmes at the National Theatre,” she said.
The Channel Manager of Adom TV, a subsidiary of Multimedia, Abena Yiadom, was all praise for the collaboration which she said was a good step in promoting Ghana’s culture and traditions.
“Concert Party promotes ideals, morals and the Ghanaian culture and as a TV station, we have been committed to this cause over the years so it is not out of place to have this collaboration,” she said.
Ms Yiadom entreated management of the National Theatre to support her outfit to promote the new season of Concert Party so it attracted sponsors and be able to stand the test of time adding, “ it is very necessary to promote our own”.
The launch was laced with performances by the Ghana Dance Ensemble, Koo Muni, a comedian and a sketch, titled, ‘Concert Wo Hia Yie’ to reiterate the importance of the arts.
The first show of the revamped Concert Party comes off on Sunday, June 23, with performances from Bom Kasa and Yazz Concert drama groups and comedy by AI and Abenkwan.
