ACTORS GUILD OF GHANA ESTABLISHES I.C.T CENTER FOR MEMBERS

The president of Ghana Actors Guild -G.A.G Mr. Samuel Nii Odoi Mensah can now heave a big sigh of relief because the consistent media bash that he has been dormant as a president will now come to an end soon.

The good news is that the Guild has now established a training center which will help its registered members have the opportunity to update their knowledge in the area of ICT which is relevant in all areas of the acting industry. Flex newspaper had an interview with the president in his office at Musiga`s head office last Wednesday and he had this to say.

“For some time now, the acting industry has become so interesting and a lot of people are coming to the field therefore making it so difficult to get jobs to do. Now people are not getting jobs to do so it is good we start getting them to learn some trade. So we want to come out with a training center where the actors will acquire knowledge on graphics, special effects and editing. We are doing this to help them get work to do.

The worst part of it is when people don't get acting jobs and they pay money to producers in the name of getting jobs. We will replicate this in all the regions for actors guild members to benefit. We will do it in batches because the place is very small. Initially, we wanted a place which could contain about 20 people but now we will start with 10 people from the other regions since we are using the Greater Accra secretariat as the training centre” Mr.Odoi revealed.

Again, Flex newspaper asked him whether the actors will be acting as teachers or they will be employing the services of experienced tutors and he responded that because they need to do it effectively, they will employ the services of professional IT teachers to train the registered members of the actors guild. “We are looking at NAFTI where we have spoken to them to get some people to come to our aid. You know the Guild does not have money to pay professors so we want the best qualification from the school to assist us because we cant afford the professors” he added.

“You see the moment people get jobs to do and they can get money to eat, the noise will stop. Because they are not getting jobs to do, they think the Guild is not working. So if we are bringing this to support ourselves and they are not ready to accept it, then that is their own issue” this was his response when Flex newspaper asked him if this training facility will help reduce some of the burdens of the guild.

Now whether the actors will patronize this training facility is another issue which will be looked at on another day because we all know that most of the Guilds members are not enthused about the activities of the guild since time immemorial.