According to Fiifi Coleman, creatives are only relevant during election seasons.
Fiifi Coleman, a well-known playwright and performer from Ghana, is voicing concerns about how the theater gets little attention from the appropriate authorities, but its participants are the main target of politicians during election seasons.
He maintained that discussions on theater only became popular for political reasons, not because its value as a vehicle for growth is actually acknowledged.
It will take time since some individuals are blind and fail to recognize the positive impact theater may have on our culture. As a panelist on the Graphic Showbiz (X) Dialogue series conducted today, he stated, “Let us wait until the election is three months away, at which point the conversation on theater will get the relevant attention.” Fiifi
The actor attacked the inadequate management of theaters and creative spaces for events that already exist and questioned the rationality of concentrating resources on building new theaters without addressing the issues with the ones that already exist.
Other speakers in the series “Is theater getting the relevant attention?” were George Quaye, CEO of Image Bureau, and Nii Saki Sackey, media liaison for Roverman Productions, who discussed their perspectives on the state of theater in the country.
Recall that in April, Mark Okraku-Mantey, the Deputy Minister for Tourism and Creative Arts, cut the sod for an amphitheater in the Ashanti region. This amphitheater is one of five that the government plans to build this year; the other four are in Accra, Takoradi, Tamale, and Kumasi. Nov. 3 and 4, Still A Rose, National Theatre
These amphitheaters are intended to be performance spaces and other entertainment venues, planning tools for industry participants, and job generators for the industry’s economy. Fiifi
“The National Theatre of Ghana can only exist as one. However, does our national theater adequately reflect who we are as a nation? Before discussing constructing new ones, we must take a closer look at it,” he said.
Fiifi Coleman stressed the necessity for stakeholders to acknowledge the significance of theater in her call for artists to value the current creative space. “They don’t see our importance, but if we don’t place value on it, who would come and do that for us as major stakeholders?”
Additionally, he made a strong case for the sincere dedication of politicians, artists, and other pertinent parties to acknowledge and support the vital role that theater plays in forming Ghana’s cultural landscape.
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