National Theatre, do the honourable and stop killing the arts!

National Theatre, do the honorable thing and stop killing the arts!

My support for the construction of the National Cathedral is for no other reason than to get another place to organize events. For those of us who are interested in the arts, it is clear that the country’s capacity to organize large events is rather low. Have you ever wondered how a national event such as the independence parade was held at the stadium, where Ghana’s Black Stars were almost sent to Benin to play a crucial FIFA World Cup qualifier against Nigeria’s Super Eagles? The field at the Cape Coast Stadium has run out after the 65th Independence Anniversary, which should have been held in a specially designed park like Black Star Square in Accra in addition to the stadium.

New events such as Afrochella and Afro Nation have disrupted other events that are equally patronized in these places and even for these main events, which have always attracted tourists in the past years since the launch of Taun Bali, the sports stadium come to the rescue.

For me, the National Cathedral will definitely help to attract Gospel events, especially, so that the pressure on other places like the Fantasy Dome, the Grand Arena and the National Theater will be easy.

But what is worrying about the space designated for entertainment, music and art festivals is the attitude of the managers of these facilities. Theater in Ghana has suffered greatly from pockets of coups in the late 1960s to the 1980s. In fact, before 1993, when Ghana returned to democratic government, there was more than a decade of military rule. This system of government – 10 years of the regime of the Provisional National Defense Council (PNDC) – which created a coffin in theater and art. After the return to democracy, there was an effort to save the theater so that it could reflect the art and culture of the country. Performances like PANAFEST, KIDAFEST, Concert Party and others attract visitors to the National Theater due to the gradual rise of the arts.

At the very least, students of Theater Arts have the hope of developing a career with the rise of patronage in the arts and entertainment. I remember my Level 100 days at the University of Ghana, Legon, moving all the way from the Department of English, which is sandwiched on the mountain between Commonwealth Hall, Volta Hall and Legon Hall, all the way down to the Department of Theater Arts. I enjoyed the lectures of Professor Martin Owusu, whose twin brother in the class, used to avoid us all because none of us knew that the latter was not our beloved lecturer. In those days I had to learn about the ‘proscenium stage’, the ‘amphitheatre’, one of which was at the back of the Commonwealth Hall which was surprising, the ‘thrust stage’ etc. I had to drop out of Theater Arts because of the distance with my English major.

In the past few years, Ghanaians have become increasingly interested in stage craft. This has been buoyed by the likes of James Ebo Whyte, popularly called Uncle Ebo, whom I do not miss on the radio every Monday and Thursday morning, Latif Abubakari, and my good friend Kobina Ansah. Uncle Ebo Whyte may have years of experience, but Latif and Kobina Ansah, The Scribe, as he goes by his sobriquet, are doing Yeoman’s work. The 2-year run of The Scribe at the National Theater not only attracted many visitors but also gave life to theater in Ghana. No wonder my family always asks when the next play is. I got some kids – now grown up – to watch one of the plays and they started asking for a live stream to watch now that it’s live in the UK.

I’m in Qatar for the 2022 FIFA World Cup but hope to get home in time to watch the much talked about ‘Once Upon A Riddle’. I was unable to fly back in time as planned but decided to watch the live show online on Saturday, December 10, 2022. Unfortunately, the first show was marred by a power outage of more than two hours. The manager of the facility, I heard, was nowhere to be found and did not have a stand-by plant to adequately address the situation. What a shame! Any organizer of the event would have died from the accident, which was not their fault! A show that has been promoted for months just kills it, literally, like that? Thank God the lights came back on for the rest of the first show while the second one also passed.

I went back to town and checked on my friends – Mr. Ansah included – as part of the New Year ritual, I sought to know that the Ghana National Theater apologized for the incident. To my utter surprise, no apology, public or private, has come from management, I was told. Scribe is left to do his own damage control. But because of his love for her and what she did for her mother Ghana in theater and art, Kobina Ansah’s fast career as one of Ghana’s playwrights will go downhill.

I called the National Theater of Ghana, whose board chairman I knew in the days of African TV as a young sports presenter, and the Executive Director to do the needful and not only apologize to The Scribe but also put measures in place to make it happen. not to “kill” the efforts of Ghanaians giving their lives to play the stage.

A lot is at stake for young playwrights and a public apology is the least you can do for them!

The writer is the Editor-in-Chief of 3news.com.

DISCLAIMER

The opinions expressed are his alone and do not represent the General Media brand.

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