Ghana’s burgeoning film industry in Kumasi

He is frail looking and moves around with a walking stick. A slight limp is noticeable as he walks. The afro-styled hair is snow white. He cuts the picture of an elderly man. But it is just a camouflage.   This is one of the acts of Kumawood, whatever name you choose to call the Kumasi-based […]

He is frail looking and moves around with a walking stick. A slight limp is noticeable as he walks. The afro-styled hair is snow white. He cuts the picture of an elderly man. But it is just a camouflage.  

This is one of the acts of Kumawood, whatever name you choose to call the Kumasi-based film industry. It has the knack for pulling stunts. In this movie flick, Kwadwo Nkansah (Lilwin), an actor in his late twenties is transformed into an old man. He is made to play the role of a mischievous old man, who bullies his impoverished son in-law, but is extremely nice to his other affluent son-in-law. 

 

Ordinarily, casting a vibrant young man for the role of an infirm elderly man would mar any good story. But not in this case. Lilwin’s theatrical prowess made it so convincing. His gesticulations and body language depicted the personality of an old man.  

Written and delivered in the local dialect, “Twi,” even without being sub-titled in English one is able to perfectly follow the story. Acting along-side highly talented, Mercy Asiedu and the new kid on the block, Ivy Saheem Majdoub, who doubled as the producer, Lilwin convincingly pulled the stunt. 

In another flick, “Professor Lilwin,” Nkansah played the role of a professor. In the movie, he lampooned the academia. His hilarious acts naturally evoke laughter. From his costume, to his facial expressions and weird diction, he showed an unparalleled flair of a comic character. 

The comedian in Nkansah always reveals itself in his performances. Whether he is playing the serious role of a warrior, a police officer or a criminal, he manages to spice the plot with comedy. Even though, he is quite new on the scene, he had featured in over 1,000 movies. Apart from acting, he is also a musician and has recorded some singles.

Delectable actress, Nana Ama Mcbrown (Real name is Felicity Ama Agyemang) traverses the Ghanaian entertainment industry like a colossus. Since her debut in the Twi film, “Asoreba” directed by Samuel Kwesi Nyamekye, Mcbrown has achieved unprecedented success. A discourse on the industry is incomplete without mentioning her. 

Commenting about her, Director Kwesi Nyamekye described Mcbrown as a very versatile actress that can interpret any role effortlessly. She was one of the actresses he enjoyed working with, he added. 

Some of her acts in Twi include, Nsem, Nnipe Ye Bad, Nsem Pii, Kumasi Yonko, Odo Ntira, Kae Dabi, Wo Nyame Som Po Ni, Dea Ade Wo No, Di Asempa (Osofo Maame), Asabea, Onyame Ye Onyame to mention just a few.

Mcbrown’s works in the English category such as Girl Connection, Playboy, The End, Friday Night, My Own Mother, Pastor’s Wife, portray her ability to put up a superlative performance be it in English or Twi. Admittedly her best works have been in the indigenous language.

Vivian Jill Lawrence’s sweet baby face belies her age and experience in the industry. The sultry actress who has put in over twenty years in the industry still features prominently in movies. She ascribed her success to God.

 The industry is replete with accomplished movie stars such as Kofi Adu (Agya Koo), Bill Asamoah, Yaw Boakye. Female players like Christiana Awuni, Mercy Asiedu and Emelia Brobbey are big players in the industry.

Kofi Adu (Agya Koo), widely acclaimed superstar for many years was the undisputed king of the Kumasi film industry. The entrance of Lilwin has however, lowered his influence, because he has to fiercely compete with the younger artiste for roles. Regardless, his contributions in the industry cannot be ignored.

According to Nyamekye, Agya Koo took the Ghanaian movies to the “highest level in the history of the Kumasi movie industry because of his good performance.”

In the early 1990s, Naana Hayford, Emmanuel Armah, Augustine Abbey (Idikoko), Grace Nortey, Kwame Owusu (late) and many others began to act in the film industry that was dominated by Accra based actors and producers. The movies were produced mainly in English.

Popular Kumasi based producer and CEO of Miracle Films, Samuel Kwesi Nyamekye profiling his work revealed how the Kumawood film industry gradually evolved. His ascent to fame very much intertwined with the emergence of the Twi movie industry.

He established, Miracle Films in 1998 and produced his first English movie “Be Vigilant” same year, but it wasn’t commercially successful, he said.

His second work, “Expectation” was an improvement. Subsequently, he produced Time, which was a hit. 

It marked the turning point in his career. His first work in Twi was Asoreba. With over 200 movies to his credit, the prolific director has produced, Kae Dabi, Abro, Nnipa Ye bad, Kumasi Yonko among others.

According to him, he mentored stars like Naana Hayford, Martha Joyce Arthur, Awo Yaa Agyeiwaa, Sabi Debra, Mary Afriyie Forson, Portia Asare Boateng, Raph Samawo, Emelia Brobbey, Gloria Agyemang and Mercy Asiedu.  

The new kid on the block, Asare Bediako is part of the Kumasi film making business and has produced widely acknowledged films like Boys Abre, Sure Banker, Aban Bosea. Osita Iheme featured in Boys Abre.

Worthy of mention are other directors, Frank Fifi Gharbhin, Theophilus Amoabeng, Kofi Asamoah, Jackson Bentum, Isaiah Kofi Appiah, Samuel Akwasi Badu, James Aboagye and James Agyemang. 

The Twi industry explores contemporary African issues like barrenness, marriage, family, polygamy. The movies also examine topical issues. Some of the plots are woven around these topics like politics, galamsey, vigilante, crime, terrorism, occultism, Advanced Fee Fraud (sakawa) and so on.

The contemporaneity of the Twi movies is one of the factors attributable to the overwhelming patronage by Ghanaians. The English genre is virtually non-existent while the local movies continue to thrive immensely.

Accomplished actress, Naana Hayford’s pacesetting role in Ghana’s movie industry has won her both accolades and respect from her colleagues and admirers. She dominated the scene in the 1990s. Some of her works include, Tears of Womanhood, Crime to Christ, The Pastor’s Wife and Expectations. She believes the selling point of Kumawood is its proclivity to produce works the people can identify with.

“The Twi movies portray what happens in the grassroots, what is going on in the society. Things that are assuming high level of concern in our society. That’s why we are always on Twi movies to watch. But the English ones are more of a foreign story being told to us. It’s more like selling a foreign culture to us,” she clarified.

For her, even the medium of conveying the message is a vital element of culture. The adoption of indigenous language is very appropriate for telling a story to a Ghanaian audience.

“Kumawood is vibrant that’s what I can say. And Twi is also part of our language. In fact, to me it is not a mistake at all. Ghanaians love to enjoy their language. They love to enjoy what belongs to them. What they can enjoy easily. That’s why they patronize the Twi movies,” she explained.

Veteran actress, Rose Mensah Aka Kyeiwaa is what Patience Ozorkor is to Nollywood. She depicts the role of the devilish woman, who always causes harm to others. As a friend, wife, mother-in-law, neighbor, she always stings others and infuses venom into their lives. Death and destruction follow her path.

Witchcraft and voodoo is a theme that is often seen in Kumawood films. The graphics that accompany these scenes of witchcraft are always mind-boggling. Skeletons jumping in and out of people, strange creatures moving about in daylight and oppressing people, apparitions and vampires sucking the blood of their victims.

Hayford reckoned that witchcraft and voodoo were over-stressed in African movies. Though she was quick to say that Nigerian movies were more notorious on that score. Her advice to movie producers was that they moved beyond voodoo and the grotesque and tell stories about our culture and values that would teach the young ,as well as project Africa positively to the world.

Special effects such as music and animation are so frequently used in these movies, that someone accustomed to these movies can easily anticipate what happens next. 

 “They are terribly animated as if cartoon characters have been copied and pasted in the movies,” Adwoa Abuno, a critic of Kumawood said decrying the use of video effects in the movies, insisting that they were appalling and definitely unpersuasive.

 She gave instances of bullets being projected in slow motion in an unconvincing manner. She also cited a fire scene she watched in a movie, where the fire flames appeared to be superimposed on the burning house.

Abuno wasn’t done with her criticism as she referred to unwarranted extension of the plots of most Kumawood films. “There is this common refrain – part 1, 2, 3 and 4 in Kumasi films’ adverts,” she complained.  

Ghana’s celebrated Kumawood Director, Frank Fiifi Gharbhin has over 20 years to his record. Some of his most popular works include Black Monkey, Mama Africa, Mallam Isaah, Sundiata and Emmanuel. He completely disagreed with the critics of the industry.  The multiple award winning director raised his thumbs for Kumasi movies.

The industry has an assemblage of some of Africa’s best artistes and interestingly most of them passed through him, he revealed. Mention the likes of Majid Michel, Jackie Appiah, Van Vicker, Kofi Adjorlolo. They have all featured in his works at a point in their careers, he disclosed.

His latest work, “Black Monkey,” he said won a US award. While back in Ghana it was the most nominated Kumawood film in the last Ghana Movie Awards.

For him, every industry, even the most established ones like Hollywood and Bollywood have their challenges, thus no one should dismiss Kumawood with a wave of the hand.

Gharbhin said other artistes from other jurisdictions outside Ghana were always willing to partner with them. The overwhelming support and collaboration was an endorsement of the high standard the industry was associated with. 

He mentioned the likes of John Okafor, Osita Iheme and Patience Ozorkwor who have had stints in the industry. 

Many Ghanaians can still recollect the prodigious performance of Patience Ozorkwor in the movie, ‘Mama Africa’. Paired with multi-talented Kwadwo Nkansah and Maame Serwaa, Ozorkwor proved the fact that language was not an impediment to the act of a prodigy. 

“I brought Patience Ozorkwor to feature in my film Mama Africa.” The director who recalled with excitement added, ‘I brought the unity between Ghallywood and Kumawood.”

The English graduate, who disclosed that he was mentored by the literary genius, the Late professor Kofi Awoonor explained his preference for Twi movies.

 

“I love doing movies in Twi. I speak and write English fluently. I am a graduate of English and two international languages but Twi is part of my roots. I love to speak it and produce films in the language,” he enthused.