Veteran Ghanaian actress Martha Ankomah has raised concerns about the dominance of foreign telenovelas dubbed in Twi on local television, warning that it’s crippling the country’s film industry.
Speaking at the National Film Authority’s National Film Dialogue held at the Cedi Conference Center on September 16, Ankomah lamented that these foreign productions are displacing homegrown content, weakening the industry’s ability to create jobs and contribute to the economy.
The Actress pointed out that local TV stations prioritize foreign content over Ghanaian films, often airing telenovelas around the clock while sidelining local productions. “my problem is with the Twi novelas, the TV stations have been showing the twi novelas from morning till evening till dawn.
“It’s one of the main reasons our industry is collapsing.”
The actress also criticized TV stations for neglecting Ghanaian films when it comes to advertising and sponsorship opportunities. “When you approach a TV station to promote your project, trust me, they don’t have sponsors for local projects. But they certainly have sponsorships for foreign TV crews,” Ankomah stated.
Ankomah urged the government to intervene and support the local film industry, calling for stronger policies to promote Ghanaian content on television.
She emphasized the importance of industry players uniting to promote each other’s work, citing Nigeria’s film industry as a model for collective effort. “If the government could push or enforce a law to favor us, it would help,” she said.
Ankomah encouraged her colleagues to leverage social media to boost their projects, saying, “We’re all on social media, and some of us have a large following. If we could all come together to promote our projects, it would help our industry grow. That’s what the Nigerians are doing, and we can do it too.”
Story Written By Biney Yakubu | Kobby Kyei News
