Mike Oquaye: Telenovela Twi voiceovers make me sick

The former Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament, Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye, has called on players in Ghana’s film industry to be innovative in their work to accelerate the values of society.

Oquaye is particularly unhappy about the phenomenon of telenovela voiceovers in Twi which have been running on national television in Ghana.

Delivering the keynote address at the inaugural memorial lecture in honour of Okyenhene Ba Dr Jones Akwasi Amoako Atta Ofori-Atta at the University of Ghana on Wednesday (6 July 2002), Oquaye said such practices must stop immediately.

“I beg our actors and scriptwriters to come out with Ghanaian films. I get sick any time I hear Twi words or Ga words pushed through some European or Asian lips. The practice should be stopped if we should develop as a people,” he said.

“These are the things that unmake a nation. It can never happen in Malaysia. It can never happen in India. It can never happen in any of the Asian countries.

“How do we develop?” Professor Oquaye asked. “Our malady is not in the stars: it is within all of us.”

The former Speaker of Parliament wants producers in the film industry in Ghana to promote and develop more home-grown content.

Listen to Reverend Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye in the audio clip attached below:

Fred Dzakpata

Asaase Radio 99.5 – tune in or log on to broadcasts online
99.5 in Accra, 101.5 in Bawku, 99.9 in Bimbilla, 100.3 in Cape Coast, 90.7 in Ho, 98.5 in Kumasi, 99.7 in Tamale, 89.5 in Tarkwa and 106.9 in Walewale
Join the conversation. Call: 020 000 9951 or 059 415 7777. Or WhatsApp: 020 000 0995.
#AsaaseRadio
#TheVoiceofOurLand