Ghana’s film heritage takes centre stage at UniMAC-IFT commemoration

Ghana’s efforts to digitise historical film archives, preserve vulnerable audiovisual collections and restore film infrastructure have come under renewed scrutiny at a World Day for Audiovisual Heritage commemoration in Accra. The 2026 commemoration, held at the University of Media, Arts and Communication’s Institute of Film and Television (UniMAC-IFT), highlighted the urgent need to protect historical recordings documenting the country’s political, cultural and social evolution. Held on Friday, 30 October, under the theme “Your Window to the World”, the event was organised by the Faculty of Digital Media and Design in collaboration with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). A major highlight was the account by veteran filmmaker Rev. Dr Chris Hesse, whose nearly three-decade effort to preserve approximately 3,000 cans of historical film materials offered participants an insight into the challenges of safeguarding Ghana’s cinematic legacy. The discussions also examined the government’s efforts to digitise historical films preserved abroad, the challenges facing local archival institutions, the disappearance of film-processing equipment and the uncertain future of some of the country’s historic cinema facilities. In her welcome address, the Dean of the Faculty of Digital Media and Design, Dr Rebecca Ohene-Asah, disclosed that the government, through the 24-Hour Economy Authority’s 24-hour-plus programme, had committed funding towards the digitisation of Ghana’s historical film materials preserved in the United Kingdom. She explained that the initiative was already underway and would facilitate the recovery and digitisation of historical recordings that had remained largely inaccessible because they were stored on obsolete analogue formats. The development represents an important step towards making significant records of Ghana’s past accessible to researchers, filmmakers, students and the wider public. However, Dr Ohene-Asah cautioned that the country’s preservation agenda must not be limited to recovering materials held outside its borders, drawing attention to the substantial audiovisual collection within UniMAC itself. She disclosed that the university held a considerable archive of materials, particularly student productions dating as far back as 1978, when the institution was established. Many of these recordings, she said, remained inaccessible because of the technical and financial challenges associated with retrieving, restoring and preserving them. Although technological developments, including artificial intelligence, were creating new possibilities for the restoration and digitisation of historical materials, she noted that the university continued to face substantial financial constraints. She consequently called for stronger partnerships and investment to position UniMAC as a leading centre for audiovisual heritage preservation in Ghana. Her concerns highlighted an important contradiction in the country’s preservation efforts: while Ghana is taking steps to retrieve historical materials from abroad, valuable recordings held within its own institutions also require urgent attention. The Head of UNESCO’s Accra Office, Mr Edmond Moukala, reinforced the importance of treating audiovisual materials as essential national assets rather than obsolete recordings occupying space in institutional archives. He described them as strategic resources of collective consciousness, capable of preserving the experiences, identities and historical developments of societies for future generations. Moukala commended Rev. Dr Hesse for his contribution to safeguarding Ghana’s historical film collection and encouraged efforts to have his materials inscribed on UNESCO’s national Memory of the World Register. He also highlighted UNESCO’s support for documentary heritage preservation through its Japan Fund-in-Trust project, titled “Advancing the Preservation and Accessibility of African Documentary Heritage at Risk”. The project is intended to strengthen preservation capacity, improve institutional frameworks and increase awareness of the importance of protecting documentary heritage across Africa. As part of the institution’s preservation efforts, Moukala disclosed that the university librarian had participated in UNESCO training on documentary heritage preservation and digitisation and was compiling an inventory of vulnerable materials held by the university for possible inclusion in the national risk register. He urged students and university authorities to pay closer attention to old film reels, tapes and cassettes, warning against treating such materials as worthless simply because the technology used to produce or play them had become outdated. Representing the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, the Ministry’s Director for Culture and Creative Arts, Mr Divine Kwame Owusu-Ansah, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to strengthening Ghana’s creative economy and supporting the preservation and development of the audiovisual industry. The address recognised the contributions of pioneers who built the country’s film and television industry under difficult circumstances and stressed the importance of documenting their achievements. It also emphasised the need to strengthen the entire audiovisual value chain, from content development and production to distribution, exhibition, marketing and preservation. The message reflected the wider economic and cultural significance of the industry, particularly the need to ensure that Ghana’s creative heritage is protected while creating opportunities for contemporary filmmakers and other practitioners. A separate address delivered on behalf of the President of the Ghana Academy of Film and Television Arts (GAFTA), Dr Jim Fara Awindor, by the academy’s Public Relations Officer, Mr George Bossompim, called for a coordinated national approach to identifying, assessing, preserving and digitising the country’s remaining audiovisual collections. Mr Bossompim warned that digitisation alone could not guarantee the long-term survival of historical recordings, explaining that digital materials also required sustainable storage systems, regular backups, proper documentation and institutional commitment. He drew attention to the disappearance of valuable audiovisual equipment and materials, including U-Matic tapes and an animation rostrum at NAFTI, as well as the burning of celluloid film reels following the divestiture of the Ghana Film Industry Corporation (GFIC). His concerns reflected a wider challenge facing the country’s film industry: the loss of archival materials and the infrastructure required to preserve, process and reproduce them. The challenges surrounding the preservation of Ghana’s audiovisual heritage became particularly evident during an engagement with Rev. Dr Chris Hesse, the former personal cinematographer to Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah. Hesse recounted how he spent nearly three decades fighting to preserve approximately 3,000 cans of historical film materials, including recordings of presidential speeches, state visits, diplomatic engagements and significant moments in Ghana’s history. His account provided participants with an insight into the political and financial difficulties that nearly deprived the country of important visual records of its past. He explained that some of the original film materials had been sent to London for processing and storage, a decision that eventually proved crucial to their survival following the overthrow of Nkrumah. According to Hesse, the National Liberation Council (NLC) subsequently issued an order for materials associated with the previous administration, including photographs and books, to be destroyed. While some materials were burnt, the original film recordings preserved in London escaped destruction. However, maintaining the collection abroad presented a different challenge. The approximately 3,000 cans required specialised storage, and the film industry was responsible for paying the associated rent. Hesse disclosed that financial difficulties eventually resulted in payments falling into arrears for nearly three years, putting the collection at risk of being displaced. At one point, he was informed that the materials had been packed and moved from their storage location, prompting him to travel to London to find a solution. After several facilities declined to accept the extensive collection, a laboratory at Home Slough, near the airport in London, eventually agreed to undertake restoration work on the films, repairing them frame by frame. He also recalled that the 31st December Women’s Movement, led by former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, at one point supported the preservation effort by paying rent for the premises where the film cans were kept. The intervention helped sustain the storage arrangement and protect the collection during a period of considerable financial difficulty. Hesse maintained that his determination to preserve the materials was driven by their national significance rather than any personal claim to ownership. “They belong to Mother Ghana,” he said. His account also reopened discussions about the divestiture of GFIC and the subsequent loss of important film production and processing facilities. He expressed concern about the destruction of valuable equipment, including laboratory facilities and other infrastructure that had supported the country’s film production activities. He clarified that the production wing of the corporation was the component sold, while the cinemas and other properties had separate ownership considerations. The loss of the production infrastructure, however, represented a major setback for Ghana’s ability to process and preserve original film materials. Beyond the preservation of archival recordings, Hesse also offered insights into his professional relationship with Nkrumah and the former president’s understanding of cinema as a powerful instrument of communication. He explained that filming the president’s international travels and political engagements involved considerable planning and an understanding of the stories behind the events being documented. Before certain trips, he would discuss with Nkrumah the important aspects of the engagements and identify the moments that needed to be captured to help audiences understand their significance. “It is a question of building a story,” was the central message of his explanation. He recalled Nkrumah’s encouragement to continue documenting events, recounting the former president’s words: “My son, keep filming, and the film will tell the truth.” Hesse further disclosed that he personally wrote the commentaries for the films, although the individuals engaged to voice the narrations were allowed to make slight adjustments to the wording to ensure that the language flowed naturally during delivery without changing the intended meaning. He also referenced Nkrumah’s vision of African unity, particularly the principle expressed in the declaration, “Africa must unite”, which informed the former president’s wider political and continental ambitions. The engagement also explored the development of Ghana’s film industry, including the establishment of West African film training institutions, the Ghana Film Unit, GFIC and the country’s cinema exhibition network. Hesse also recalled the experiences of Sean Graham, who filmed materials about Africa and Ghana during the colonial period but whose activities were subsequently restricted. The discussions prompted calls for a more deliberate approach to documenting the experiences of Ghana’s film pioneers. During the question-and-answer session, Dr Andrew-Square, a faculty member from the Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies, appealed to UniMAC and UNESCO to collaborate on a structured oral history project to document Hesse’s experiences. He argued that the veteran filmmaker’s proximity to Ghana’s political history, including his interactions with successive presidents and his work documenting the country’s development, represented an invaluable historical resource. He proposed a phased documentation initiative that would capture Hesse’s experiences, insights and historical accounts for research, education and future generations. The appeal highlighted the need to complement the preservation of physical film materials with the systematic documentation of the memories and experiences of the people responsible for creating them. The future of Ghana’s historic cinema infrastructure also featured prominently in the engagement, particularly the condition and potential rehabilitation of Rex Cinema. A student of the Institute of Film and Television, Emelia Attamudzi, appealed to industry stakeholders, lecturers and university authorities to support efforts to preserve the facility and make it accessible to emerging filmmakers. She argued that the cinema could provide an important exhibition platform for young creatives who often struggle to afford established venues for screening their productions. Her intervention drew attention to the high cost of accessing facilities such as the National Theatre and the limited opportunities available to independent filmmakers seeking affordable spaces to showcase their work. Hesse, in response, maintained that several cinema properties acquired under the former film corporation were government properties and expressed concern about their current conditions and the failure to adequately protect some of them. Mr Bossompim also disclosed that GAFTA had previously pursued a grant to support the rehabilitation of Rex Cinema, although the effort did not result in the desired intervention. The discussion demonstrated that protecting Ghana’s audiovisual heritage must extend beyond preserving old recordings to include the restoration and productive use of the physical spaces that once supported the country’s film industry. The commemoration also provided a practical demonstration of the value of archival preservation through the screening of a digitised historical film preserved through Hesse’s efforts. The footage offered students, dignitaries and other participants an opportunity to engage with historical material that might otherwise have remained inaccessible, illustrating how digitisation can transform archival collections into valuable resources for education, research and cultural appreciation. The programme incorporated artistic performances that further reinforced the connection between audiovisual heritage and national identity. A poetry recital by Makida El Husseini reflected on the importance of safeguarding Ghana’s audiovisual legacy through spoken word, while renowned Ghanaian flautist, singer, songwriter and music director, Dela Yaw Botri, popularly known as “The Flute Magician”, entertained participants with traditional songs and intermittent flute performances. His performance added a musical and cultural dimension to the commemoration, highlighting the broader responsibility of preserving the country’s artistic expressions alongside its historical film records. The gathering at UniMAC-IFT brought together two important dimensions of Ghana’s audiovisual heritage: the urgent need to recover historical materials that have survived and the equally important responsibility of protecting collections and infrastructure that remain within the country. The government’s digitisation commitment, UNESCO’s preservation interventions, the university’s concerns about its own archives and the experiences shared by Hesse all pointed to the need for a coordinated and sustainable national preservation framework. The discussions also made clear that digitisation must be accompanied by investment in archival facilities, professional training, research, long-term storage systems and policies that prevent historically significant materials from being destroyed or abandoned. For a country whose film history captures its independence, political transformation, cultural expressions and international relationships, the preservation of audiovisual materials is inseparable from the protection of its collective memory. The central message of the commemoration was that Ghana’s audiovisual heritage must not be left to the determination of individual pioneers alone. Protecting it requires sustained institutional responsibility, national investment and a commitment to ensuring that the stories recorded by previous generations remain available to those yet to come.