Ban telenovelas to protect Ghana’s culture – Osofo Dadzie tells government

After being absent from the television screens in Ghana for over two decades, Mr. Frimpong Manso, popularly known as Osofo Dadzie, has bounced back with a call on the government to immediately place a ban on foreign drama series (telenovelas) to save the country’s dying culture.

According to him, silence on the subject on the part of policy makers will destroy the moral fibre since the continuous showing of foreign drama series in the country is a threat to unity in homes.

“Osofo Dadzie said the current drama series shown on television screens are too evasive, offensive and full of insulting language, a departure from what obtained in the past.

“In our days, you dare not use offensive or insulting language because you will be cautioned immediately and if it repeats itself more than three times, you will be given a suspension,” he said.
Speaking exclusively to the Daily Heritage from his Dansoman residence, Osofo Dadzie said Ghana currently lacks good scriptwriters and actors/actresses, while some actors/actresses also lack the creative edge to make the industry lively.

He added that a good or exceptional actor/actress should be able to create his/her own words of humor outside the script and excite the audience.

“What I see today is there is no humor in drama compared to the past and is like ‘Talking Point’ series on GTV where everything is strictly based on talking,” he stated.
The famous actor said he finds it highly offensive seeing foreign drama series aired on national television where casts speak ‘broken’ Twi to distort the language while policy makers look on unconcerned.

Osofo Dadzie thinks the current crop of actors/actresses have little or no educational background in acting.

“What they do is choose and act unlike in the past where they aligned themselves with drama groups before they are selected to act, which exposed them to the industry.”
He explained that the government should stop television stations from importing foreign drama series and translate into Twi language and rather employ local experts to act good drama series for television stations.

This, he said, would promote employment, equip the local industry, enrich the use of the language and promote culture.

“Employing local artistes to act local drama series for the television station is cheaper and more economical than foreign ones,” he added.
Roll call

Osofo Dadzie revealed that apart from himself, Super OD and Akua Boahemaa, who is now in Germany, the rest of the Osofo Dadzie drama cast are deceased.

He said the likes of Fred Addai, S.K. Oppong, Kwadwo Kwakye, Bea Kisi and Akora Badu are dead.




The veteran actor said his colleagues died early because they were rejected by society.

“In Ghana today, actors/actresses, musicians and footballers become vulnerable when they are out of business,” adding that the country easily forgets its heroes, resulting in their early departure.
Housing

He dismissed the claim that the Osofo Dadzie group was given houses for free, explaining that the government of the day allocated the Osofo Dadzie area within Dansoman for them on rental basis.

“But I finally bought mine in 1974 and just received a letter last month from the State Housing Company that I owe GH? 6, 600.00 being cost of renting the land since 1974.”
Journey to US

Osofo Dadzie, who was born in 1939 and has a wife and four children, said sometime in 1997, after some years of absence from the television screens, he travelled to the United State of America where he became a store assistant at Connecticut and later joined Command Security Company protecting Wester Bank at East Hardford “till my return to Ghana in 2015.”

Sponsorship

He said currently he has completed 13 drama episodes which were sponsored by the Royal Bank and aired on GTV and Fire TV last year.

Osofo Dadzie is now seeking sponsorship from corporate Ghana to air his ‘locked up’ drama series, which are gradually gathering dust, to entertain Ghanaians.

Source: kasapafmonline.com