The Ga Mantse, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II has urged the government to fund the production of movies that tell Ghana’s untold stories, emphasising the role that movies play in conserving cultural heritage.
Speaking at the second edition of the Africa Cinema Summit, held at the Mövenpick Hotel in Accra, the Ga King highlighted the role of cinema in celebrating the country’s legacy.
The Ga Mantse, in his keynote address which was read on his behalf by astute broadcaster Nathaniel Attoh called on the next government to fund a film that would tell the story of legendary Ghanaian boxer Azumah Nelson.
“One, considering we are on the Ga Adangbe land and considering that he is a custodian of the Ga Adangbe culture is a story of one of the most achieved athletes from the African continent Berima Professor Azumah ZumZum Nelson who is a son of the Ga soil,” he said.
The Ga Mantse stressed that “His story embodies culture, inspiration, and projects the future of the African way. This is one of the many stories that can be pursued in a very vigorous way by the government that takes over in the year 2025”.
Azumah Nelson, a former professional boxer, is renowned as one of the greatest African athletes of all time. He held world titles in two weight divisions, including the WBC featherweight and WBC super featherweight titles, and is celebrated for his achievements from 1979 to 2008.
Reflecting on African cinema, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II also criticised the negative portrayal of the continent by foreign media, recalling the painful images often shown to the world, such as the Rwandan crisis, despite the country’s ongoing progress under President Kagame.
He encouraged Africans to leverage cinema as a tool for social transformation: “As we gather for the Africa Cinema Summit, let us reaffirm our commitment to cinema as a vital tool for cultural preservation, economic empowerment, and social transformation. Cinema reflects our past, represents our present, and projects our future.”
The four-day Africa Cinema Summit, which began on October 7 and will conclude on October 10, 2024, focuses on improving the quality of local content production and consumption, and pushing for increased investment in cinema.
This year’s summit being headlined by British actor of Ghanaian descent, Idris Elba is geared towards discussions aimed at consolidating progress in the African film industry and fostering collaboration and growth.
As part of the summit, a Legacy Award ceremony will be held today, Wednesday, October 9, at the Mövenpick Hotel.
The summit is organised by the Juliet Asante-led National Film Authority (NFA) in partnership with Filmhouse Group (Nigeria), Silverbird Cinema (Ghana), Cinema Exhibitors Association of Nigeria, Century CineMax (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda), and Canal Olympia, among others.
