Popular playwright and media personality, George Quaye, has urged Ghanaians to avoid comparing Ghana’s film industry to Nollywood.
Speaking during a discussion on United Showbiz over the weekend, Quaye acknowledged Nigeria’s success in their movie industry, citing their drive and huge demand.
He said it is not worth comparing both movie industries as both have unique talents.
“We should understand that Nigerians have a certain level of aggressiveness and also in basic economics, demand and supply analysis shows that they have a much larger market, and when they produce little, they will have higher demand than ours so what are we fighting for. I don’t think there’s anything to argue about,” he said.
George Quaye’s comment was in response to Ghanaian actress Gloria Sarfo’s concerns about talents of most Ghanaian actors going waste due to the state of the movie industry whereas they could be flourishing elsewhere, particularly in Nigeria.
“Honestly, if you’re in Nigeria as an actor, you’d realize that you’ve REALLY WASTED YOUR TALENT back in Ghana,” she wrote. “As in, people are shooting on a daily basis, back to back, non stop. Meanwhile, in my country Ghana, producers STRUGGLE to even shoot one film in a year.”
Sarfo described the situation as “CRAZY” and “totally disheartening,” wondering what could be the cause of Ghana’s ‘failing’ movie industry. “What has happened to our industry???
But George Quaye argued that Ghanaian actors are chosen to feature in Nigerian movies, stating that it shows the unique talents of Ghanaian actors.
“If today, somebody calls you from Ghana to come and act in Nigeria, a population with so much talents then it shows that there’s something we have that they don’t have there,” he added.
He urged Ghanaian creatives to see the industry’s worth, stating; “I feel we should rather be proud of what we have…Let’s stop the comparisons with Nigerians… I understand my sister but she should be measured. The Ghana movie industry is never a waste of time.”
Quaye also emphasized that Ghana can succeed via talent and quality, even though it cannot rival Nigeria in terms of volume or market share.
He urged Ghanaian performers to capitalize on their advantages and adjust to their respective markets.
“It is up to you as an actor to look at yourself and the market and what works for you. I started as an actor. Some people started as actors but are now show hosts and influencers,” he said.
