In a tête-à-tête with a colleague entertainment journalist last weekend, we dissected on various issues which have bedevilled the Ghanaian Entertainment Industry. We talked extensively about movies and proliferation of awards here and there on the African continent.
I was particularly shocked when it came out that indeed all is not rosy in the make believe fraternity. Though we are in the third quarter of 2011, it appears that over 80 percent of movies produced this year inGhanaare either adopted or copied stories from mostly foreign productions.
Though this canker is unfortunate, it seems to have etched itself in the Ghana Movie Industry. This phenomenal of blindly copying has taken a new turn as most movie makers now sample three or more foreign movies and add them together to make them one complete Ghanaian movie. By so doing, scriptwriters’ jobs have been taken away from them. This has retarded the flow of creativity.
Sometimes I reminisce and miss the good old days when movies produced had no misgivings about them. Stories were told with so much maturity without anyone doubting the originality of the story. Several years ago, there weren’t any issues withAfricamovie makers plagiarising other people works. Even if there was any, I believed whoever the original storyteller was, was acknowledged.
However, new sets of film makers on the African continent are lazy. Bunch of lazy folks who disregard the need to be creative.
Let’s look at the new movie ‘Destiny’s Child’ which is on the editing bench. When GhanaCelebrities.Com revealed the movie titled ‘Destiny’s Child’ in a post, many tabloids as well as movie enthusiasts all over Africa slammed the production house for its lack of innovation in copying a brand which has already been established and known all over the world.
Whiles some questioned the choice of the title, others were of the opinion that, perhaps the storyline will be centred on the lifestyles of the former Destiny Child group members. Some members of the Destiny’s Child group broke away since they weren’t able to deal with the internal conflict that beleaguered the group which eventually led to the group’s split-off. Coincidentally, the plot of the movie appears to have certain resemblance with the group’s break up story.
Before they finally called it quit, the group were left with three members; Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. Interestingly, the ‘Destiny’s Child’ movie is a story about three sisters; Chalyne [Helen Asante], Nana Akua [Nana Akua Addo] and Denise [Roselyn Ngissah] who loved music and began their musical career at young ages. They performed and danced at various venues inAccrato make a living.
They were signed on a record label after taking part in competition, though they didn’t win. Shortly, they were faced with several problems as to which of them; Nana Akua and Denise was the leader of the group. Just like the original Destiny’s Child, one member of the group moved away and was replaced by another member.
At this juncture, taking into consideration, the story of the group Destiny Child and the storyline of the movie, can we say it’s a clear case of brand thievery on the part of the Ghanaian movie maker; since the name; Destiny’s Child is an already established brand?
Though the American based R&B, Soul, Hip Hop and Pop group, Destiny’s Child might not be together as a group, I doubt if indeed, they are aware of a Ghanaian movie about them. Even if they are aware can they sue the Writer, Executive Producer as well as the production house responsible for the movie; Hau Of Kadewe Films?
If they couldn’t deal with their difference and allowed internal conflicts to break them apart, how will they come together to sue? Will they even waste their time on a poverty-stricken industry?
Indeed, brand thievery or plagiarism has been accepted and embraced in movie making on the African continent. It’s neitherGhananorNigeriathing; it’s a problem with Africans.
Africans like to plagiarist someone else work without giving credits. From where I’m standing, I don’t think it’s going to end anytime soon, if the original people don’t sue but then what is there inAfricato warrant such a move?
All the same, if you cannot tell your own story, I guess someone will tell it for you…GhanaCelebrities.Com in the weeks ahead will be interviewing the cast and crew of the upcoming Ghanaian movie ‘Destiny Child’ to look at the similarities if any and the distinctions between the story the movie tells and the Beyonce and co’s Destiny Child story.
We can’t wait to have the finished product to be able to look at it critically with our eagle eye. We heard it will be another African blockbuster though!
Watch videos of the preparations for the movie and a teaser below. Click here for some of the behind the scene pictures.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4jZG9vr4_0&
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxnxW6urnO0
no.we did Nothing like dem, we were just ourselves, i was part of d movie, sat down,read d script n dere was Nothing like dat..i’m a movie critic but het to be known as such.. just watch out for more.. watch out for GHanian version of American pie…
@samuel bravo, you are saying this and u r proud of it. SMH……Sad!
@Justina, hahahahahahahahaha am even shy for him
@Justina, y should i, its abt high tým we stop,all dis quack movies,n shoot 2hrs movies,look ať shirley frimpong’s adam’s Apple, a masterpiece, do u know d storyline??? Me writing a Ghanaian version of american pie,does not neccesarily means i’m writing d samé thing or šimilar to dat but rather, a bunny movie in d hollywood KIND. dat is it.
@samuel bravo, so are u saying that you don’t have any original scripts written by you and not copied from somebody?
It’s too much, every Ghanaian (non Twi) movie you watch half way true you know of which Western movie they’re copying from!!! It’s sad and shame that Ghana film makers can’t even come up with original stories.
How about great stories of great (past) African entertainments?!? Again that’s the English spoken Ghana movies trying sooo hard to copy the Western ways of living as much as trends.
I’m sure Destiny’s Child can sue if they want, but like you’ve put it for what? what kind of money?
@Akosua,
so true, they can sue if they want, but i am sure they wont cos they wont get much money from it if they did. But Ghanaians need to sit up, this movie is just a local version of Dreamgirls
Copy copyyyyyyyyyyyy! but love the dress on them . c’t wait to see this movie.
I really wanna see destiny’s child oooooooooooo! Cos I hard baby gee 4m x fM is in the movie n sammy F of Y FM is in ruff n smooth mimi I. C’t wait
@ ama saaaaaaaa! owo then it a must watch movie c’t wait to see ruff n smooth oooo but wat was mimi doing there hope she did not show her yello panties l
So many movies has been copied so why this one particular and why now and I’m sure Beyonce, Kelly Michelle wouldn’t mind and that they will be happy that their carrier had inspired other countries and making an movie about their life and success in the show showbiz industry
Nana akua addo saw ur movie this weekend on via sat n u were on top of ur game oooooo like roselyn so much but wait ooh wat was mimi doing there hope she did not show her yello panties.lol
This movie is on point no two ways SAMMY f is in MIMI BABY GEE of Xfm RUFF n SMOOTH it will be of the hook am so happy 4 the lady’s but u guys shld have not gone 4 MIMI at all
Yea! go destiny’s child love the hole idea abt the movie n the fact that u 3 gals were not the same face ooooooh the jackie,nadia, yvonn and the rest cos we need a break aaaahhba. go galss
SUE who huh?? them let them start 4m SPARROW PRODUCTIOS and VENUS 4 most of hit movies are copy cat ok pls live DC alone go gal am # one fan of this movie the dress and hair alone say it all it a good one mimi just do not fit into this class of ladies she’s TRASH
when u talk people will attack you…….the trend our movies have taken is quite dangerous…so many of our movies are carbon copies of other movies…i’ve watched lots of Ghanaian and Nigerian movies and sometimes it’s shockin how people can do this and get away with it…the same story, the same scenes, same dialogue.the only difference is with the cast and crew.
this movie apart from being the baby of the group Destiny’s Child, it also has some similiarity with the movie dream Girls. why didn’t dey write about Wulome or Osibisa or Amakye Dede and The Apollo High Kings?????must it be Destiny’s Child?i know the producer will come and talk nonsense abt how the story was written and all that bullshit but the bottom line is that this movie is a piece of the group Destiny’s Child period.
talking of making our movies global, have they thought of how they can enter this movie into those well known credible Movie Festivals and Awards????????can u take this movie to the US and show in a theatre without having any problem??? it’s quite obvious the producers are lookin at the Ghana market and no where else.
They can sue. only if they have some form or patent or some trademark registrations to the name. Even geographical locations also has to count. so it depends.
I remember watching a movie called Destiny Child starring Pascaline Edwards, Agya Koo and Paulette form TV3 Mentor….. But anyways this movie looks like it will follow the Dream Girls or the group Destiny Child storyline… All the same, lets wait for the movie to come out so we can see what it’s all about..