Some of Ghana’s popular Kumawood movie stars have opened up about their decision to campaign for president-elect John Mahama in the recent elections. Big Akwess, Christiana Awuni, and Okomfo Kolege shared their motivations on Daybreak Hitz on Friday, December 13, 2024.
The actors revealed that their support for Mahama was driven by the Akufo-Addo administration’s failure to address the challenges facing the film industry. “People think we came out to support NDC because of selfish gains, but it is not so. We did this for Ghana,” Christiana Awuni explained, donning NDC paraphernalia.
Awuni emphasized that the Creative Arts Industry is more than just entertainment and that she added her voice to advocate for better conditions. “We unveiled to campaign for a better government for Ghana and the youth of Ghana in the creative arts industry to curb the hardship that resides,” she said.
Big Akwess recounted a meeting with President Nana Akufo-Addo in August 2015, where the president promised to address the plights of the Kumawood industry. However, Akwess noted that the NPP government failed to deliver on three key expectations: establishing a film industry with a cinema, passing a bill to regulate foreign telenovelas, and building a film village. “He has frustrated us. He said it and never did it,” Akwess said passionately.
The actor added that they had informed Mahama of these challenges and had received assurances of his commitment to developing the industry. Okomfo Kolege expressed hope that Mahama would continue to support the creative arts industry, which had begun to thrive under his previous term. “I pray Mahama will continue the good works he was doing for the creative arts industry, so we can boom as we should,” Kolege remarked.