Find a name for the movie industry, Ghallywood is not its name – Ekow Smith Asante

• Posted on September 17, 2013September 17, 2013
• by Ellsamwise King
• Comment

Ghanaian actor Ekow Smith Asante has called on professionals in the Ghanaian movie industry to help give a name to the industry because Ghallywood, as it has been known over the years, is not its name.

Ghallywood has for some years now been known as the name of the Ghanaian movie industry but the renowned actor has debunked the name stating that name was an initiative of an individual, Mr William Akufo.

Ekow Smith Asante speaking on Rhythmz A-Z on Joy FM over the weekend said it was about time professionals in the industry, including Mr Nii Odoi Mensah, president of the Actors Guild of Ghana gave an appropriate name to the industry.

“I have told the Actors Guild president that it’s a shame that we don’t have a name. Ghallywood is Mr Willy Akufo’s private business, it does not belong to the [industry]. We don’t have a name,” he stated.

Ekow Smith Asante tasked Nii Odoi Mensah that “before he gets out of his chair as president he should start initiating [a move to name the industry [because] we need a name, we need to be identified. Ghallywood is not our name, it’s for somebody and that man has put everything in his life to just build that name so we cannot take it because it’s for him.”

His call is coming in the wake of arguments by pundits that Ghana should not just copy the name of the American movie industry, Hollywood, the Indian movie industry, Bollywood and the Nigerian movie industry, Nollywood and also just name the industry Ghallywood.

Actress Ama K Abebreses was once quoted in an interview as saying that, “Ghallywood is just a lazy name,” asking, “because everybody else has a wood, you also do same? No, let us be more creative.”

Veteran actress Anima Misa Amoah speaking on Daybreak Hitz on Hitz FM in November 2010, had also said, “I just thought that there could be better choices…I don’t think we should have anything ‘wood’…It does not have to be Ghally anything.”

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