User:Moswento/Cinema of Ghana

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History[edit]

Colonial era[edit]

Gold Coast (region) Cinema was introduced to the region in the 1920s by European businessmen. Cinemas were constructed in major towns and cities, including Accra, Kumasi and Takoradi. Vans also travelled around rural areas, showing films to audiences there.[1] These films were generally silent Indian films, watched in several showings.[1]

Mobile cinema distribution grew in the 1930s, especially in areas of cocoa production, where people had disposable income to consume this form of entertainment.[1]

1940s[edit]

Origins of Ghanaian film making.[2] Cinema began to benefit from government sponsorship.[3] A time of rapid growth.[3] Creation of Information Services Department by colonial government, to produce and show films that would promote colonial policies.[3] This was accompanied by the opening of new cinemas in cities, including Accra. They also created vans that would travel to smaller settlements to show films.[3]

After the Second World War, the entertainment aspect of cinema was appreciated more, facilitated by urban expansion and increased interaction with other countries.[3] Cinema under control of colonial authorities, but independent cinema operators still in existence.[3]

1950s[edit]

In the 1950s and 1960s, Hindi films were a key part of cinema. Earlier Hindi films, set in Mughal India, were particularly popular in the Muslim-majority north, and Muslim areas on the south of Ghana.[3]

One of the key businessmen in this area was Nankani, who dominated the import and distribution of Indian cinema in Ghana, as well as establishing a chain of cinemas across the country.[3]

1970s[edit]

From the middle of the 1970s, the National Film and Television Institute trained Ghanaians in film production.[2]

Most film production at the time was funded by the state, rather than private individuals or concerns. The focus was on supporting the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, compiling a National Film Archive, and making documentaries.[2]

1980s and 1990s[edit]

In the 1990s, there was a growth in a new phenomenon of "video features": movies shot with video tape rather than celluloid film. This trend began with William Akuffo's Zinabu, which was produced for Worldwide Motion Pictures in 1987. In 1988, two video films were released, but by 1991 this had increased to seven, and over 50 were produced in 1993.[2]

Misc[edit]

"For twenty-odd years the Ghana Film Industry Corporation has had the reputation of possessing the best film-making equipment in sub-Saharan Africa".[2]

References[edit]

Citations
  1. ^ a b c Wuaku 2013, p. 51.
  2. ^ a b c d e Sutherland 2000, p. 265.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Wuaku 2013, p. 52.
Bibliography
  • Sutherland-Addy, Esi (2000). "The Ghanaian feature video phenomenon: Thematic concerns and aesthetic resources". In Kofi Anyidoho and James Gibbs (ed.). FonTomFrom: Contemporary Ghanaian Literature, Theatre and Film. Rodopi. ISBN 90-420-1273-0.
  • Wuaku, Albert (2013). Hindu Gods in West Africa: Ghanaian Devotees of Shiva and Krishna. BRILL. ISBN 978-90-04-25571-5.
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