While some people have derided decisions by some creative to vie for political positions, Juliet Yaa Asantewaa Asante, the Executive Secretary of the National Film Authority believes the entertainment industry has some fine brains for a lot ventures including leadership.
“It takes so much to be in this space; creatively, to be able to go into yourself and bring out something that is non-existent before you brought it out. To be able to live your own life and all that,” she said during a discussion on Joy FM’s Showbiz A-Z.
She said the country has not made good use of the brilliant individuals in the entertainment industry.
“The creative space (and I will focus on the entertainment space), has some of the most intelligent people this country could tap into, but unfortunately we are not tapping into that and that is sad,” she noted.
According to her, due to the perception that entertainment people are not intelligent, she was even insulted for returning to film making after going for her education abroad.
“There is that presumption (wrongly) that people in the [entertainment] space are not intelligent, which is sad,” the NFA boss told Kwame Dadzie, the host Showbiz A-Z.
“I remember when I came back into the system after stepping away briefly, someone told me something must be wrong with me for returning to the film industry after furthering my education outside the country,” Juliet narrated.
She recounted that the year she came back, somebody actually used the word “stupid” on her for choosing to return to film after seeking higher education outside the country.
Juliet made this statement when she was commenting on creatives’ involvement in politics and governance.
Ghanaian actors John Dumelo and Fred Nuamah have announced their intention to contest at the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary primaries.
Music and media entrepreneur, Baba Sadiq, is also contesting for the same position at the Okaikoi Central constituency of the party.
These are just some of the people from the creative space who have in the past years, been either involved in partisan politics held government positions in Ghana.
Ablah Dzifa Gomashie (for Deputy Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, now Member of Parliament for Ketu South), Fritz Baffour (former Minister of Information), Bice Osei Kuffour (Managing Director of Ghana Post Company Limited), and Mark Okraku Mantey (Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture) are all from the creative industry.
