Last week, Ghana hosted the second edition of the Africa Cinema Summit, a landmark event designed to bring together filmmakers from across the continent. Organized by the National Film Authority of Ghana (NFA), the summit aimed to foster collaboration and innovation in the African film industry. However, despite its significance, the event faced criticism from certain quarters. Some detractors questioned its relevance, arguing that Ghana has more immediate concerns than hosting a pan-African summit.
Renowned Joy FM broadcaster Kwame Dadzie weighed in on the debate, offering a passionate defense of the summit and highlighting the urgent need for capacity building in the creative industry. In his remarks, Dadzie pointed out that many of the criticisms stem from a lack of understanding of how essential such initiatives are to the development of the industry.
“If we really want change, then we cannot do without capacity building,” he stressed. According to Dadzie, many individuals within the African film industry are complacent, unwilling to broaden their horizons and develop their skills. He noted that this lack of enthusiasm for learning has stunted the growth of the industry: “A lot of us are ignorant just because we hate to learn. Some of our creatives think the only way to grow this industry is by being gathered in one room where someone in power comes to share money with us.”
Dadzie criticized the widespread expectation that the government or other influential figures should fund filmmakers directly, rather than encouraging them to engage in learning opportunities like the Africa Cinema Summit. “It’s always about us getting money from the government,” he said, “but I think if you really want to grow, you need to learn.”
The broadcaster also expressed disappointment in the low attendance from local filmmakers, especially in contrast to the filmmakers from over 20 African countries who attended the summit in Ghana. “A lot of our people in the filmmaking sector were absent. This is an attitude that is killing the industry,” he lamented. He argued that this disinterest in learning was mirrored in other areas of the creative industry, including radio content. “Instead of people listening to progressive content on shows like Showbiz A to Z, they’d rather tune in to sensationalist content elsewhere.”
Embracing Ghana’s Leadership in African Cinema
Dadzie also addressed criticisms questioning why Ghana was chosen to host the Africa Cinema Summit, with some suggesting that other African countries like Nigeria or South Africa might have been more fitting hosts. However, he pushed back against these claims, urging Ghanaians to take pride in their country’s leadership role in the African film industry. “Why don’t we also pride ourselves in the fact that we are championing something for Africa from Ghana?” he asked.
He pointed to events such as the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMA Awards), which are held in Nigeria but widely supported by Ghanaians, as an example of how pan-African initiatives can benefit the entire continent. “Sometimes we win awards at these events, and we are happy. Why, then, do we ask questions like, ‘Why is Ghana organizing a summit for Africa?'”
While acknowledging that the NFA has its challenges and needs improvement, Dadzie emphasized the importance of commending the organization when it takes positive steps. “It’s about time we also learned and unlearned some of the things that are pulling us back as a people,” he said.
The Need for Continuous Learning
Dadzie closed his reflections with a reminder that growth in the film industry—and any industry—cannot be achieved through funding alone. “You can be given all the funding and infrastructure that you want, but if you fail to learn through these summits and workshops, you fail to grow,” he asserted.
In Dadzie’s view, the Africa Cinema Summit represents more than just an event; it is a critical opportunity for African filmmakers to come together, learn from each other, and collectively push the boundaries of the continent’s film industry. The future of African cinema, he argued, depends on a collective commitment to learning, capacity building, and innovation.
As he poignantly concluded, “Whoever has ears, let them hear.”
