The Deputy Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Tourism Authority, Ben Anane-Nsiah, has urged filmmakers to try their possible best to be creative in telling their stories.
Ben Anane-Nsiah made this statement during a meeting with some students from Georgia State University in the US who are currently in Ghana to learn about the country’s film industry.
According to Anane-Nsiah, telling a good story about people in a particular area informs other people more about the way of life of the setting of the story.
“You influence what people think about a destination and if you are deliberate about it you can get a lot of converts. Even those who have not been here would have the desire to come.”
“Being in Ghana can be fun so it is important that those of you who are film-makers deliberately show the reality of our situation and not what we often see. We need to change the narrative,” he added.
He also condemned the act of some filmmakers always portraying Ghana as a country enclave with poverty and malice.
“Paint the right picture to encourage people to consider the nation as their destination. I am sure if I tell you to choose between going to Uzbekistan or southern France for a vacation, you will choose the latter.
“The reason is Uzbekistan does not mean anything to you, but at least southern France does because of the positive things that are projected in their films,” he added.
Moreover, he appreciated the Ghana Film Industry for its tremendous efforts to make the industry relevant in this technological age.
The CEO of the National Film Authority, Juliet Yaa Asantewaa Asante also spoke on the relevance of creative arts in the promotion of tourism. “We all know that Ghana has set off on this amazing journey to attract the world and, indeed, our tourism numbers have gone up,” she said.
Miss Asante said the country could also take advantage of the phenomenon called film tourism by building the capacity of industry players and sharing experiences with best practices.
“We want to expand into so many opportunities and we are ready for collaborations that’s why we are very excited that you took the time to visit us here,” she added.
Other representatives at the meeting were from the Ghana Tourism Authority, the National Film Industry, GH Media School, Accra Film School, Animax Studios, Mills Media, the University of Ghana, and the University of Media, Arts, and Communication, among others.