Entertainment
Tourism Minister responds to concerns over support for comedians, says Creative Arts Agency will engage industry
Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts Minister Abla Dzifa Gomashie has assured comedians that the government is committed to addressing their concerns, following growing frustrations within the creative arts industry over the level of support available to practitioners.
Speaking during the government’s accountability series at the Jubilee House, the Minister acknowledged concerns about the attention given to different creative disciplines, including comedy, and said no particular creative field would be deliberately left behind.
“Comedy, I don’t recall that anything extraordinary was done for comedians. But I believe that all the domains need attention and they deserve attention,” she said.
The Minister said her personal participation in comedy shows demonstrates her appreciation of the contribution comedians make to the creative sector and society.
She explained that she attends comedy shows both in solidarity with practitioners and because entertainment, including humour, plays an important role in people’s lives.
“I can assure them that as we go along, all the domains will receive whatever support that they can through the Creative Arts Agency,” she said.
She encouraged comedians and other creative practitioners to engage directly with the Chief Executive Officer of the Creative Arts Agency and clearly outline the interventions they require.
According to her, while she cannot promise to solve every challenge facing the comedy industry, the government is prepared to listen and explore ways of addressing specific concerns.
“It is not a promise that I can do all things, but at least we will hear them and see how we address the issues going forward,” she added.
Lekzy’s concerns over unfulfilled promises
The Minister’s comments come against the backdrop of concerns raised by comedian Lekzy at the 9th edition of the Showbiz Roundtable, where he recounted his experience trying to secure government attention to an issue affecting creatives.
According to Lekzy, his last engagement with officials under the previous government ended with a three-way telephone conversation involving himself and Rex Omar, after which he was told that he would hear from the relevant person.
He said that despite the assurance, no further communication followed.
“That was the last call. After the call dropped, I even called somebody to reach out to Mr Rex Omar. It was a three-way call. He said he would hear from him, and that was it,” Lekzy recounted.
He said that under the previous government, he believed such a conversation would have resulted in action, but claimed that nothing came out of it.
“To date, I have not heard from them. Nothing. Zero effort. And we are still here, marking time,” he said.
Lekzy also expressed frustration over what he described as a disconnect between some creatives in government and practitioners in the industry.
He argued that the current administration has a significant number of people with creative industry backgrounds in positions of influence and therefore should be better placed to understand the difficulties facing practitioners.
“It will shock you that some of them, even before they go to power, you can call them, they will pick up your call and have an industry call,” he said.
According to him, the situation changes once such individuals assume political office.
“Now, when you call them, they don’t pick. You get to their PA; they don’t pick up. And it’s quite frustrating,” he added.
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Minister says government is working on long-term reforms
Responding to broader concerns about the sector, Gomashie said the government’s approach is not limited to immediate financial interventions but also involves reforming the legal and policy framework governing Ghana’s creative industries.
She said several of the policies and laws guiding the sector are outdated and need to be reviewed to create a stronger foundation for future governments and industry players.
“We are looking at, as I said, looking at the policy, the cultural policy of Ghana and all the other legal frameworks within which our sector works. All of them are so old, and it’s our focus to ensure that that platform is laid and is solid,” she explained.
The Minister said the objective is to establish a sustainable framework that can serve the creative sector beyond the tenure of the current administration.
She noted that many initiatives undertaken in the creative sector over the years have been largely ad hoc and lacked the necessary legal and institutional backing.
“A lot of the things that we have done for as long as I have been in this industry, 42 years and counting, have usually been ad hoc. There’s no backing, there’s no legal framework around it,” she said.
Gomashie further explained that strengthening the sector’s legal and policy framework would also make it easier for Ghana to engage international partners, foreign governments and other agencies on creative industry matters.
She therefore urged practitioners to bear with the government as it works to put the necessary structures in place.
“Please bear with us as we tighten, we cross all the T’s and dot all the I’s and ensure that our sector is properly structured to deal with the governments and agencies and what have you,” she said.
The Minister has therefore urged comedians to engage the Creative Arts Agency with specific concerns and proposals, as government continues its work on the policy and legal frameworks governing the creative arts sector.