The announcement of Mark Okraku-Mantey as the Deputy Minister-Designate for the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry is one that should put smiles on the faces of most people in the creative sector.
This will not be the first time, a creative arts person has been chosen as Deputy Minister for that ministry. In 2013, Dzifa Abla Gomashie, a celebrated actress, was appointed to the same position when the creative sector was made a part of the tourism ministry and was named Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts.
When the New Patriotic Party assumed office in 2017, most people in the creative industry wanted to see a replication of appointment at the ministry. But to the chagrin of many stakeholders, that did not happen. Neither was anybody from the entertainment industry made the substantive or deputy minister.
Right after the 2020 elections, the call for someone from the arts to be made (at least) a Deputy Minister started again and a lot of names were suggested by people in the industry.
Apart from Mark Okraku-Mantey, other names that came up in most discussions were Bice ‘Obour’ Osei Kuffour – former President of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) and 2020 parliamentary aspirant of the NPP in the Asante Akyem South constituency, Akwasi Agyemang – Chief Executive Office of the Ghana Tourism Authority and Juliet Asante – Filmmaker and Executive Secretary of the National Film Authority.
Others were Kojo Frimpong – broadcast journalist, Kwabena Okyere Darko – Member of Parliament for the Takoradi constituency and James Korsah Brown – talent manager and 2020 NPP parliamentary aspirant for Mfantseman Constituency.
Is Mark qualified for the job?
I don’t want to pre-empt the job of the Appointment Committee of Parliament but judging from the work Mark has done for himself and the arts, he makes the cut for the job.
Mark Okraku Mantey started music production in 1996 as the Chief Executive Officer of Slip Music.
He worked with artistes such as Kojo Ashakan, Felix Bell, Oheneba Kissi, Lord Kenya, Daasebre Gyamena, Adane Best, Akyeame, Okuraseni Samuel, Bless, and Kumi Guitar.
Others include Nana Yaw Asare, Jamson, Kudjo Sasu, and Nana Quame, Swazzy B, Joe Frazier, among others.
Mark’s love for the arts goes beyond just music. At one point, he was the executive producer of ‘Efiewura’, a comedy series that aired on TV3.
He has also been involved in organising some of the biggest events that the country has ever seen.
Mark became very popular in the entertainment space for the ‘wicked’ Simon Cowell role he played as a judge when the Mentor music reality show started about sixteen years ago on TV3.
On the media landscape, he has plied his trade as a disc jockey at Joy FM and is currently the Head of Programmes at Hitz FM.
For the past years, Okraku-Mantey has been actively involved in politics, after openly declaring his support for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and championing creative arts activities through the Creative Arts for Change, a group of creatives that rallied behind the party.
In 2017, when the New Patriotic Party assumed power, he was appointed as the President of the Creative Arts Council, an institution that was instrumental in the passage of the Creative Arts Law.
I have heard Mark tell the story of how he had to go back to school after many years of working as a music producer and winning spurs in that field.
He has a bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Central University and a master’s degree in Leadership and Governance from the Central University.
Expectations from the Creative Sector
A lot of creatives have reposed so much hope in their own holding at least the Deputy Minister position at the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture and will be disappointed if the industry does not get the necessary boost after Mark’s appointment.
With Mark as the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, (pending parliamentary approval) he will be expected to ensure that a lot (if not all) of the manifesto promises made by the New Patriotic Party for the creative industry are fulfilled.
He is also expected to help make the arts feature prominently in the scheme of things as far as activities of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, are concerned.
Why should he focus more on the arts?
He will be serving the three sectors of the ministry as a deputy minister: tourism, arts, and culture, but I would suggest that he does more work for the arts.
My bias for the arts does not only stem from my inclination towards the sector but also because it is the sector that has not received enough funding, attention, and development over the years.
The arts sector is still being molded and I fathom one of the reasons Mark was chosen is to make a mark for his people – the creatives. It is believed that with his in-depth understanding of the creative industry, he will buoy up the substantive Minister, Mohammed Awal whose forte basically lies in media, business, and marketing.
Tourism and arts/culture have a symbiotic relationship. If our arts sector is well-structured, it will definitely affect tourism and consequently our culture. The obverse also holds true but in the absence of proper policies, it is difficult projecting the arts through tourism.
In tandem with satisfying the ideals of the creative industry, Mark should work hard towards fulfilling the 2020 manifesto promises by the New Patriotic Party (NPP):
1. setting up the Creative Arts Fund to support artists
2. completing the theatre in Kumasi, and constructing new theatres in Takoradi and Tamale
3. establishing in large recording studios in Accra, Kumasi, Tamale, and Takoradi. Recording artists can rent space to do the recordings in these studios
4. building a digital platform for artists to make their products available to the global market
5. constructing one of the biggest convention and exhibition centres in the world at the Ghana Trade Fair Company site, La.
‘Steal’ some NDC ideas
The essence of democracy is not merely the struggle for power but the battle of ideas for the good of the people.
I have studied both manifestoes of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and National Democratic Congress (NDC) and I have spotted some ideas in the NDC manifesto that need to be ‘stolen’ by Mark and his NPP to help grow the creative industry.
The following provisions in the NDC 2020 manifesto on creative arts, should be considered by the NPP:
1. Resource the national museums and empower them to function properly and create space for exhibitions
2. Partner with GUVA and other fine art associations to purchase their finished works to furnish and decorate public offices to support the fine art businesses
3. Through the National Film Authority, encourage our embassies overseas to purchase and periodically show appropriate Ghanaian films on Ghana Day and other special occasions
4. In collaboration with the Ghana Association of Writers, establish a National Writing Contest and support the promotion of the best literary works
5. Make available scholarship packages for disadvantaged creative artistes to pursue courses or programmes for self-development in the national interest
6. Structure the educational curriculum to allow students to appreciate the relevance of culture and creative arts in life and national development
7. Refurbish the national theatre
Will Mark deliver?
Having the capability to do something and really executing it, are two different things. Apart from having the arts at heart, this is politics. He might be tethered by the manacles of bureaucracy and internal party politicking.
He may also get complacent and forget about why he is there. He should know that expectations from the arts fraternity are very high.
To deliver, he must also not use the power to ‘show his power’. He must be ready to accept criticism and divergent opinions from the stakeholders and the media.
I wish him all the best in his new journey. He should just go make a Mark!
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By: Kwame Dadzie | ghanaweekend.com
Editor’s Note: The writer is an entertainment journalist with Citi FM, Citi TV, and citinewsroom.com).
