Ghanaians don't take creative arts seriously - Rex Omar

President of the Ghana Music Rights Organisation (GHMARO), Rex Omar has voiced his concerns over the apparent disregard for the creative arts sector in Ghana.

During a conversation with Hitz FM on June 26, 2024, he pointed out that this issue arises from a cultural tendency to undervalue the work of creative professionals.

“It stems from our culture, we are yet to see creative arts as business or a form of economic development. In Ghana, when you are a musician, people do not take you seriously. Same as a comedian, a comic could be on set, someone in the audience would be laughing and make comments like, ‘this person is not serious’”.

“Anything that has to do with creativity is not properly looked at,” he expressed.

Omar highlighted the potential of the creative sector to boost job creation and economic growth, and called for more resources to be allocated to that sector.

“It’s about time that as a country, if we are serious about creating jobs for the youth and growing the economy, we need to take a serious look at the creative sector. If government decides to spend half of the money they spend on football in Ghana on Creative Arts, it will shock what can be done with that amount of money for the sector,” he said.