The Entertainment Industry Is Losing Its Purpose And Identity

FOR THE past five years there has been a tremendous change in the entertainment industry. Our entertainment industry is losing its purpose and identity. One may ask what is entertainment?

Entertainment is commonly defined as an action, event or activity that aims to entertain, amuse and interest an audience of one or more people. It is also an art produced to educate, inform, provide relaxation and release the stress of the audience and also solve social problems through their arts but what do we see lately? All sorts of nudity and profaneness have emerged in the industry.

I quiet remember as a young girl growing up in 1991, I realized most of the drama on television especially Akan Drama on Ghana Television station (GTV) always projected the value of been faithful, honest and hardworking in life. Most of their stories talked about faithfulness in marriages and the role of the child in the society.

Good morals were their hallmark but now both the movie and music industry have lost their sense of humor. Because of modernization, the act of copying lifestyles from the Western world has tarnished the image of the Ghanaian entertainment industry.

One thing we should note is that no matter how hard we try to copy them we are still Africans, that won’t change and they still won’t give us the needed respect we deserve. Why don’t we project our African values in our music and movies and that will also be a way of branding who we are and what we are made of. Our Forefathers toiled hard to preserve our African values but it seems we are throwing that away and taking in something that does not belong to us.

Anytime I watch the television, I get angry because all I see are nude pictures, witchcraft, theft and sex in movies, music videos among others. What kind of advice are we giving to the young ones growing up? Are we trying to tell the young ones that life is all about sex, witchcraft, nudity and profane languages?

Where is the respect, sense of integrity, the fight to pursue greater heights, the defending spirit for African Culture, the value for education, honesty, perseverance, courage, and hard work our Forefathers exhibited? Can’t we portray such in our movies and music so as to teach the young ones what life really is about?

The entertainment industry has thrown all out in our movies and music and now all we hear, watch, and talk about is “TONGA, 3POINTS, ADULT MUSIC, WITCHCRAFTS, ADULTERY, ARMED-ROBBERY” to mention but few. I can’t watch a single movie without seeing the actors and actresses having sex although they say is fake, witchcrafts exhibiting their powers, armed-robbers robbing big companies, couples cheating on their spouses, profane languages in music among others.

Entertainment is to inform, educate, relax the minds of people and solve social issues through their arts. Now look at the kind of education and information we are getting. Out of a heavy day’s work, we switch on our television to watch something to relax our mind and body but what we see even worsen our stress.

All we see is witchcrafts exhibiting their powers, cheating, sex and profane languages and now the young ones has also copied these things. You will hear children singing these profane songs, the adolescent always finding ways and means to experience sex, engaging in fraud to earn money fast, joining gangs so as to make it big time in life all due to the kind of publicity we have been exposed to.

It is time the entertainment industry reposition and relocate to find back their purpose and identity. Their role is very crucial in the country but it seems they have lost their purpose and identity.

I always ask myself what our GREAT MEN and WOMEN in the country are doing about this terrifying situation. Are they also enjoying what is been portrayed or they are just minding their own business? Things that affect the country should not be left unattended to. There cannot be “minding my business” in this critical situation. Our Pastors, philanthropists, motivational speakers, interest groups among others must all arise and fight this situation.

Government it is time a law is passed to regulate and supervise the activities of the entertainment industry; any artist or movie producer who produces nude, profane and other source of bad morals in their art be sued and that will bring back our entertainment industry to where it needs to be.

As a citizen of this wonderful country, I have played my part by alerting the public to know the extent to which the industry has lost its purpose and identity. I hope immediate actions take place to solve the issue.

As a level 400 student at the University of Ghana, I am always full of joy when I go to the drama studio to watch plays like “DR FAUSTUS, SUCH IS LIFE, KONGI’S HARVEST” to mention but few because I always learn something from these plays.

They are educative, very informing and also there is full of laughter which relaxes my mind and releases me of my stress. It is my prayer that our music and movie producers change and produce things that are beneficial for the country.