Ghanaian highlife musician Rex Omar is not happy about the growing trend of local TV stations showing foreign telenovelas with Twi translations.
According to him, the influx of foreign soap operas on Ghanaian television with Twi translations is detrimental to the growth and recognition of local talents and portrays Ghana as unserious with its creativity.
In a recent interview Property FM, Rex Omar argued that the overreliance on foreign content sends a message that the country lacks confidence in its own creative prowess and that not only diminishes the visibility of Ghanaian actors, writers, and producers but also limits opportunities for local storytelling and the development of indigenous talent.
“Right now look at our media landscape, all the soap operas we’re showing on TV are foreign which they’ve used our local languages to interpret. This thing is causing the nation a lot of havoc and who is talking about that but Ghana is like a country without governance so everyone does what they want.
“Because there is nowhere in any civilised country like you go to India and they are showing Ghanaian soap opera on TV but they’re using India language to do interpretation. Or maybe you go to Britain and they’ll be showing Ghanaian soap opera on their popular TV station with their language, it doesn’t happen and it’s only Ghana.”
He expressed the belief that investing in homegrown talents, supporting local productions, and providing a platform for Ghanaian stories will not only boost the economy but also contribute to the preservation of the country’s unique cultural heritage.
Source: graphic.com.gh