Mantse Aryeequaye: Ghana needs separate ministry for creative arts
The founder of Chale Wote Festival is advocating for a ministry solely dedicated to the arts industry to help unlock opportunities in the sector
Mantse Aryeequaye, the founder of Chale Wote Festival is advocating for the creation of a separate ministry for the creative arts industry.
He believes this will streamline activities in the sector following the recent passage of the creative arts bill into law.
Aryeequaye was speaking in an interview with Nana Yaa Mensah on Sunday Night ahead of this year’s edition of the Chale Wote Festival slated for August.
“The creation of arts and its representation is a completely different thing and it is not done for tourism, or to create things for tourists to come and see, there are products that artistes produce that will become some kind of attraction.
“But I think that tourism in itself is a completely different thing. If you ask me, I do think that creative arts should have a separate ministry,” Aryeequaye said.
Implement creative arts law
Aryeequaye who also doubles as a film maker wants the government to focus on the implementation of the recently passed creative arts law to help bring some relief to players in the sector.
He believes although Africa is raking in millions from visual arts, most of the money does not stay on the continent.
“Visual arts is a billion-dollar industry and it makes more money than TV, radio, magazines and advertising put together, and on the continent, we are making billions but a lot of those billions are going into places and countries that have infrastructure.”
Watch the full interview below:
About Chale Wote festival
The Chale Wote Street Arts and Festival is an alternative platform that brings art, music, dance and performance out of the galleries and onto the streets of James Town in Accra.
The first festival took place in July 2011, following a series of discussions about creating DIY [do-it‑yourself] community projects by participants at a Talk Party Series.
The festival challenges both artists and community-based audiences to connect through art.
It includes street painting, graffiti murals, photo exhibitions, interactive installations, a food and fashion marketplace, live street performances, extreme sports, African Cinema pavilion, street boxing, a fashion parade, a music block party, design labs and much more.
More than 200 Ghana-based and international artists take part in the event every year. In 2018, over 100,000 people attended Chale Wote.
Fred Dzakpata
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