Sex for roles is an individual decision - Akorfa Edjeani Asiedu

Veteran actress Akorfa Edjeani Asiedu has stated that the Ghana Film Act, which was passed in 2016, can’t protect upcoming actresses from sleeping with movie directors and producers for movie roles.

She stated that sleeping with producers or directors is a personal decision and the law has no control over it.

Akorfa, who was speaking at a film stakeholders’ advocacy meeting in Accra as part of activities to get government to operationalise the Ghana Film Act, indicated that it is only in the case of rape, which borders on criminality that the laws of the Ghana can take effect.

“With the issue of directors and producers taking advantage of actresses, I don’t think anybody can force you in that sense. It is an individual thing and a personal decision to allow a producer or director to take advantage of you. The authority on the Film Act cannot deal with that per se. It is an individual thing or decision that a female film stakeholder has to take a stand not to be taken advantage of,” she added.

The Film Law, which provides guidelines to how the film industry should be regulated among others, was passed by ex-President John Mahama months before he handed over to President Akufo-Addo. But the law is not operationalised yet.

A number of associations in the Ghanaian filmmaking industry have started advocacy programmes to get stakeholders to co-operate with the current government to help put measures in place to make the law work.

The associations spearheading the advocacy programmes are the Ghana Actors Guild, Film Crew Association, Women In Film & Television, Film Producers Association of Ghana, Film Marketers Association, among others.

The group’s advocacy programme had the various heads of associations declare open support to help operationalise the law.

David Dontoh, Oscar Provencal, Ken Fiati, Akorfa Edjeani Asiedu and others were present at the programme.