‘Dirty Fights Affects The Industry' - Mark Okraku Mantey

It seems the new trend among some Ghanaian creatives in recent times, is to go public, especially on social media, with private conversations when their friendships and love relationships turn soar.

As if that is not enough, the parties involved also go on to call each other names using very vulgar words.

Commenting on this, Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mark Okraku Mantey says these acts should not be encouraged because they go a long way to affect the creative industry negatively.

“It’s unfortunate these things happen. What we do not know is that these things affect our industry. They prevent us from getting sponsors and sometimes the investors we crave for. Why do we negate our industry with these things, are these the only things we can sell about our industry?

“How about selling the other side of it which is the positive ones, can we sell parts that will attract respect, that will attract the corporate world so that they can work with us, people don’t know but these things affect the industry gravely,” he told Graphic Showbiz in an interview recently.

He continued, “ these washing of dirty linen in public is what we see or read about on social media in recent times, people write just anything without thinking about the effect it will have on our industry. We must go back to the drawing board. And that is why the ministry is bent on reorienting everyone.

“Let us even put the industry aside, let’s talk about the individuals, like I always say, you reap what you sow. We are having fun or whatever today but have we thought about the future?

"Do we think about the fact that we will not be as 'hot' as we are today and that in some years to come, the things we do today will affect certain things that may come our way? That a time will come, people would want to come to us for advice, they will need us as opinion leaders etc?

“Look at someone like former world champion, Azumah Nelson, today everyone wants to associate himself/herself with him and it is because of who he is, he is down to earth, people go to him for advice among others”, he added.


Mr Okraku Mantey therefore entreated creatives to be very care about the things they say and do on social media because the Internet never forgets.