Some Flaws Associated with Ghanaian & Nigerian Movies | What Measures Are Film-makers Putting in Place to Correct Them?

For some reasons best known to me, I do not enjoy both Ghanaian and Nigerian movies that much. I am certain of the fact that I am tired of sitting behind a TV set to watch the same old Kwaku Ananse storylines over and over again.

Honestly, I have lost count of Ghollywood and Nollywood movies that ‘hammer’ on same old stuffs. I dare not bother about them since they can leave me with high blood pressure in the future. The anomalies in Ghollywood and Nollywood movies are way too much; and they keep increasing day by day. It makes me marvel at how such stories were written – maybe written to be filmed for some basic school project.

I am actually looking for a day where I will get glued to my television set and watch some Ghanaian and Nigerian movies free from any form of ‘spiritism’, which include the ghost factor. As for predicting what will happen in the various movies, you need no degree in sorcery – it is pretty simple like foretelling when ECG might put off your light.

It’s pretty funny how some of these stories are told. By actuality and the laws of nature, every human being is expected to grow as time passes. On several occasions in numerous movies, Ghanaian and Nigerian films depict otherwise.

In a typical setting, a man or woman who lives with his/her children will remain the same (from beginning to the end of the movie); even after 30 years when the kids have grown to become adults and have been replaced with different set of people in that same movie. Such instances make one wonder how life and growth work. Even if film-makers prefer to use the same person, there are make-up and makeover options that they can apply to the face of the person to depict the required growth from one stage in life to another.

Among many other things, movies are meant to educate. However, some of our local movies rather tend to misinform us in several ways. One of the obvious ways is how the police work in these so-called movies. Many a times (in the movies of course), individuals get robbed, people are killed mercilessly, and others commit different atrocities that go against the laws of the land.

What happens in the course of these movies and finally in the end? The offenders go scot-free without the law dealing with them, which implies how weak our system is.

The issue of subtitling may have to be a full topic for another blessed day. This problem is often associated with the non-English movies, especially the Twi ones. Because the main language used in those movies are not English (but want to reach out to a wider market), the movie are subtitled in English.

To tell you the gospel truth, I do not know who or the educational background of the person who does the subtitling or the translation from Twi to English. If you have taken note of this, you will realize not only are most of the spellings of the translated words wrong, the right words are not also used (For example Sea instead of See, Sun instead of Son). I ask myself if the film-makers watch the movies after editing is done before they release the movies.

Some of these irregularities have gone on for too long. It is therefore time for our film-makers to step up their game; if not catch up with the international standard at this moment, at least present us with though-provoking and well-crafted movies. These petty mistakes need no special lens for a film-maker to be able to correct them.

Since we want our movie industries to grow, we throw the challenge to these film-makers to sit up and correct them.

Although there are many errors, these are just a few ones I can point them out at the moment. What are some of the flaws that you’ve come across in Ghanaian and Nigerian movies? Share them with us.